Meaning of qián:
前
front; future
Tā zhàn zài wǒ de qiánmiàn.
他站在我的前面。
He stands in front of me.
Wǒmen xīwàng háizimen zài bùjiǔ de qiántú gèngjiā guāngmíng.
我们希望孩子们在不久的前途更加光明。
We hope that the children's future will be brighter soon.
forward; former
Wǒmen yào yǒnggǎn de xiàng qián zǒu.
我们要勇敢地向前走。
We need to move forward bravely.
Tā shì gōngsī de qián rèn jīnglǐ.
他是公司的前任经理。
He is the former manager of the company.
ahead; ago; formerly
Qiánmiàn de lù fēicháng de píngtǎn.
前面的路非常的平坦。
The road ahead is very flat.
Liǎng nián qián wǒmen yīqǐ qùle Zhōngguó.
两年前我们一起去了中国。
Two years ago, we went to China together.
Tā shì wǒmen xuéxiào de qián xiàozhǎng.
他是我们学校的前校长。
He was formerly the principal of our school.
first; top (followed by a number); BC (e.g. 前293年)
Tā shì duìwǔ zhōng de dì yī gè, zhàn zài zuì qián miàn.
他是队伍中的第一个，站在最【前】面。
He is the first in the line, standing at the very front.
Tā zài bǐsài zhōng huòdéle qián wǔ de míngcì.
他在比赛中获得了前五的名次。
He achieved a top five position in the competition.
Zhōngguó zài gōngyuán qián 221 nián tǒngyī.
中国在公元前221年统一。
China unified in 221 BC.
before
Wǒmen yīnggāi zài huìyì qián zhǔnbèi hǎo suǒyǒu de cáiliào.
我们应该在会议前准备好所有的材料。
We should prepare all the materials before the meeting.
