生前

• Pinyin: shēng qián
• Hanzi breakdown: 生 = 土 + 屮 (life, living); 前 = 止 + 月 + 刀 (before, in front)

Meaning

During one's lifetime; before one's death — referring to the period when a now-deceased person was still alive.

Always refers to someone who has already died; it is retrospective by nature. Common in obituaries, wills, memorial speeches, and historical records. Contrasted with 死后 (after death). Appears in collocations like 生前遗愿 (dying wish) and 生前事迹 (deeds during one's lifetime).

Examples

1. 老人生前嘱咐子女，将自己的藏书全部捐赠给村里的图书馆。 Before he passed away, the elderly man told his children to donate his entire book collection to the village library.
2. 这幅画是那位艺术家生前最后完成的作品，具有极高的纪念价值。 This painting was the last work the artist completed before his death, and it has great commemorative value.
3. 研究团队通过走访当地居民，还原了这位历史人物生前的日常生活图景。 By visiting local residents, the research team reconstructed a picture of this historical figure’s everyday life while he was still alive.

Usage Guide

Context: biography, obituaries, history, legal

Tone: solemn

Do Say

• 先生生前一直致力于乡村教育事业，桃李满天下，深受学生和家长的爱戴与尊敬。(The late teacher devoted his entire life to rural education; his students spread across the country, and he was deeply loved and respected.)
• 按照逝者生前的遗愿，其名下的所有财产将捐献给专门资助贫困学生的慈善基金会。(In accordance with the deceased's dying wish, all assets in his name will be donated to a charitable foundation dedicated to supporting impoverished students.)

Don't Say

• 生前 when the subject is still alive — 生前 is strictly retrospective and only used after a person's death; use 在世时 or 活着时 if the person is living

Origin & History

生 (life, alive) + 前 (before, in front of; here: during the period of)

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal