前后

• 拼音: qián hòu
• 汉字拆解: 前 = 止 (foot) + 刂 (knife), originally meaning to advance; 后 = simplified from 後, meaning behind or after

含义

Before and after; front and back; around (a point in time). Indicates a range spanning both sides of a reference point.

Used spatially to mean front and back (房子前后 = front and back of the house), and temporally to mean around a particular time (春节前后 = around Chinese New Year). Can also mean from beginning to end (前后花了三天 = took about three days altogether). Very versatile in both written and spoken Chinese.

例句

1. 春节前后是回家过年的高峰期。
2. 这件事前后花了将近一个月的时间。
3. 学校前后都种了很多花和树。

用法指南

语境: time expressions, spatial descriptions, narratives

语气: descriptive

正确说法

• 国庆节前后天气很舒服。(The weather is very pleasant around National Day.)
• 这本书我前后读了三遍。(I read this book three times from start to finish.)

错误说法

• 我前后去了北京。(Don't use 前后 to simply mean 'previously went' — it implies a span or range. Say 之前 or 以前 for 'before.')

起源与历史

前 means front or before; 后 means back or after. Combined, they form a complementary pair covering both directions in space or time.

文化背景

世代: All ages

社会背景: Universal