前辈

• Pinyin: qián bèi
• Hanzi breakdown: 前 = 刖 (cut foot/move forward) + 刀 (knife) (front/before); 辈 = 非 (not) + 车 (chariot) (generation/cohort — those on the same road)

Meaning

Senior; elder; predecessor. A person of an earlier generation or with greater seniority in a field, organisation, or profession.

A respectful term for someone who precedes you in experience, age, or professional standing. Not necessarily very old — a few years' seniority is enough. Widely used in professional, academic, and social contexts. Expresses deference and respect. Antonym: 后辈/晚辈.

Examples

1. 他经常主动向行业前辈请教，虚心汲取他们数十年积累的宝贵实践经验与行业洞见。 He often takes the initiative to seek advice from senior figures in the industry, humbly learning from the valuable experience and insights they’ve built over decades.
2. 这位前辈在关键时刻伸出援手，帮助刚入行的她渡过了事业起步阶段最艰难的一段低谷期。 This senior figure stepped in at a critical moment and helped her through the toughest low point of her early career.
3. 前辈们用汗水与智慧奠定的学科基础，是后来者站在更高起点上不断突破创新的重要依托与保障。 The foundation laid by senior scholars through sweat and wisdom is essential support that allows later generations to start higher and keep pushing innovation.

Usage Guide

Context: professional, academic, social, mentorship

Tone: respectful

Do Say

• 作为行业新人，他深知向前辈学习的重要性，利用一切机会旁听老专家的研讨会和内部分享会。(As a newcomer to the industry, he understood the importance of learning from seniors, seizing every opportunity to sit in on seminars and internal sharing sessions held by veteran experts.)
• 这位前辈退休后仍坚持为年轻科研人员提供指导，以自己一生的学术积淀持续滋养着这个学科的成长。(Even after retirement, this senior figure continued to provide guidance to young researchers, sustaining the growth of the discipline with a lifetime of academic accumulation.)

Don't Say

• 这栋建筑的前辈是一座古庙 — 前辈 refers exclusively to people, not objects or buildings; use 前身 for the predecessor of an institution or structure

Origin & History

前 (front/before) + 辈 (generation/peer group) — those of the generation before; predecessors in a generational or professional sense

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal