Taxonomy of meanings for 前:　　

Additional information about 前

說文解字:

Criteria
• NEXT
  

  1. The current general word referring to the next member of a contextually determinate series is cì 次 (ant. qián 前 "preceding"), and the series can be temporal as well as spatial or indeed abstract.

  2. Míng 明 (ant. zuó 昨 "yester-" and zǎo 早 "earlier") refers specifically to the next member of a temporal series of days, months, or years, and míng rì 明日 does not mean "tomorrow" but can refer to tomorrow and must always be understood as "the next day, counting from the other contextually definite day". The other contextually definite day can be, but need not be, the "today" of the speech act in which the word occurs.

  3. Lái 來 (ant. wǎng 往 "preceding" and xī 昔 ) is a deictic expression and refers specifically to the next member of the temporal series beginning with the present time.

  4. Yì 翌 is the ancient OBI word for a period of time that is imminent, and the word always retained a literary, elevated, and even antiquated flavour.

• BEHIND
  

  1. The standard term is hòu 後 (ant. qián 前 "before") which has both temporal and spatial meanings, the spatial meaning being the primary one. The term has no competitors in the spatial sphere.

• IN FRONT
  

  1. The current word for "before in space" is qián 前 (ant. hòu 後 "behind"), and the word does not seem to have competitors.

• ENCYCLOPAEDIA
  

  1. The current classical Chinese word for an encyclopaedia is 類書 "sub-classified book" a term that occurs already in 前漢記 according to DCD.

  NOTE:

  The earliest works of an encyclopaedic nature are HN and LSCQ. From Yìwénlèijù 藝文類聚 onwards China has produced a remarkable range of encyclopaedias in the narrower sense.

• FORWARD
  

  前

• FUTURE
  

  1. The current general word for the immediate future is jiāng 將 (ant. yǐ 已 "already") which refers freely to any part of the future, distant or imminent.

  2. Qiě 且 (ant. jì 既 "already") refers to immiment and immediate future. See SOON.

  3. Yù 欲 comes to be used as a neutral indicator of the likely future so that we are not likely to find bì yù 必欲 ever coming to mean "will surely, will necessarily".

  4. Yǐ 以 "in order to" is restricted to subordinate clauses and refers specifically to the intended future.

  5. The most current and general word for the nominalised notion of the future is probably lái 來 (ant. wǎng 往 "the past").

  6. Hòu 後 (ant. qíán 前 "earlier times") often refers to what comes afterwards, the future.

  7. Wèi 未 "not yet" is sometimes -very rarely- used as a noun to refer to the future. NB: yǐ 已 is never used as an antonym.

• BEFORE
  

  When did 戰前 "before the battle" become current????

• WITHDRAW
  

  1. The current general word for withdrawing from somewhere is tuì 退 (ant. jìn 進 "move forwards"), and the withdrawal can be over a short or a long distance, often with the purpose of returning to one's point of departure.

  2. Què 卻 (ant. qián 前 "move forward") refers to backing off, often under pressure, and typically for a shorter distance, and usually the immediate purpose of the withdrawal is not that of returning to one's point of departure but to get out of a confrontation.

  3. Bà 罷 (ant. gōng 攻 "move forward to attack") refers to an army withdrawing its military forces.

  4. Bì 避 (ant. duì 對 "face up to") refers to a polite withdrawal from an honoured or regular position, typical a position facing someone in authority.

  5. Yin3 引 refers to the act of preparing and then commencing a formal military withdrawal.

  Jī jīn 擊金 and míng jīn 鳴金 "beating the bells for military withdrawal" (ant. jī gǔ 擊鼓 "beat the drums for a military attack") refers to giving a signal for withdrawal of troops.

• ADVANCE
  

  [GENERAL/SPECIFIC]

  1. The standard general word for physically going or moving forward is jìn 進 (ant. tuì 退 "withdraw backwards").

  [GENERAL]

  2. Qián 前 (ant. hòu 後 "move backwards") refers to the movement forward and into the position in front of someone.

  [SPECIFIC]

• THEREUPON
  

  [BRIEF/LONG]

  [DRAMATIC/UNDRAMATIC]

  [EMPHATIC/UNEMPHATIC]

  [NOUN/VERB/PARTICLE/CLAUSE]

  1. The current general word for "thereupon" is yú shì 於是 "at that point, then, thereupon" with its expanded variant yú shì hū 於是乎, but these expressions do not allow for any long delay.

  2. Yǒu jiān 有間 (ant.* xuǎn 旋／還 "without delay", dùn 頓 "immediately, without hesitation") refers to a brief interval of a certain time which ensues, and after which something new happens in the narrative sequence.

  [BRIEF], [UNDRAMATIC], [UNEMPHATIC]; [CLAUSE]

  3. Yǒu qǐng 有頃 (ant. è ér 俄而 "without delay", lì 立 "without delay") is "after a while" and the interval is perhaps a little longer than in yǒu jiān 有間, and this expression also refers to a plain narrative sequence.

  [BRIEF], [UNDRAMATIC], [UNEMPHATIC]; [CLAUSE]

  4. Yǐ ér 已而 (ant. qián cǐ 前此 "before this point in time") refers with emphasis to a longer than expected interval after a certain time.

  [LONG], [DRAMATIC], [EMPHATIC]; [PARTICLE]

  5. Jū 居 (as in jū sān yuè 居三月 "after three months") and the rarer chǔ 處 serve simply to indicate a specified interval after a certain time after which something else happens.

  [VERB], [UNDRAMATIC], [UNEMPHATIC]

  6. Jì 既 (ant. wèi jí 未及 "before even...") focusses dramatically on the fact that an action B does not occur before the action A is completed.

  [BRIEF], [DRAMATIC], [EMPHATIC]; [PARTICLE]

  7. Rán hòu 然後 (ant. yǐ qián 以前 "before") emphasises that an event occurs no sooner than after a certain event or space of time. See ONLY THEN.

  [BRIEF], [DRAMATIC], [EMPHATIC]; [PARTICLE]

  8. Ér hòu 而後 (ant. yǐ qián 以前 "before") emphasises that an event occurs no sooner than after a certain event or space of time. See ONLY THEN.

  [BRIEF], [EMPHATIC]; [PARTICLE]

  9. Xū yú 須臾 stresses that an event occurred immediately after another.

  [BRIEF+]; [nadS]

  10. Hòu 後 (ant. qián 前 "before") is a general word indicating that something happens later than something else.

Word relations
• Ant: (IN FRONT)後/BEHIND The standard term is hòu 後 (ant. qián 前 "before") which has both temporal and spatial meanings, the spatial meaning being the primary one. The term has no competitors in the spatial sphere. 3 Attributions
• Ant: (EARLY)後/LATE The current general word for lateness is hòu 後 (ant. xiān 先 "earlier"), and this word refers to anything that comes later in time than something else.
• Ant: (PAST)後/FUTURE Hòu 後 (ant. qíán 前 "earlier times") often refers to what comes afterwards, the future. 1 Attribution
• Synon: (PAST)/