面
前

About

The word "面前" is formed by combining two characters that each convey a spatial concept: "面" (miàn), meaning "face" or "surface", and "前" (qián), meaning "front" or "ahead". Their combination is direct and pictorial, where "面" establishes a reference point, a face, a façade, or a plane, and "前" specifies the immediate space that is directly ahead of or before that point. Thus, the word is built by merging these two concrete ideas of orientation to create a single, unified concept meaning "in front of" or "before (someone/something)".

Example Sentences Hide

我面前有一杯水。

Wǒ miànqián yǒu yī bēi shuǐ.

There is a glass of water in front of me.

孩子站在妈妈面前。

Háizi zhàn zài māma miànqián.

The child stands in front of mom.

在客人面前，我们要有礼貌。

Zài kèrén miànqián, wǒmen yào yǒu lǐmào.

In front of guests, we should be polite.

面对面前的困难，他选择了坚持。

Miànduì miànqián de kùnnán, tā xuǎnzé le jiānchí.

Facing the difficulties before him, he chose to persist.

当巨大的机会出现在你面前时，一定要抓住它。

Dāng jùdà de jīhuì chūxiàn zài nǐ miànqián shí, yīdìng yào zhuāzhù tā.

When a great opportunity appears before you, you must seize it.

Word Definition - 面前

miàn qián in front of; facing; (in the) presence (of)

Individual Character Details

面 miàn, miàn, miàn
前 qián