| 前 | qián | front; forward; ahead; ago; before; first; former; formerly; future; BC (e.g. 前293年) |
| 前面 | qián miàn | ahead; in front; preceding; above |
| 前进 | qián jìn | to go forward; to forge ahead; to advance; onward |
| 前后 | qián hòu | around; from beginning to end; all around; front and rear |
| 前提 | qián tí | premise; precondition; prerequisite |
| 前者 | qián zhě | the former |
| 前途 | qián tú | prospects; future outlook; journey |
| 前往 | qián wǎng | to leave for; to proceed towards; to go |
| 前年 | qián nián | the year before last |
| 前方 | qián fāng | ahead; the front |
| 前来 | qián lái | to come (formal); before; previously |
| 前线 | qián xiàn | front line; military front; workface; cutting edge |
| 前夕 | qián xī | eve; the day before |
| 前期 | qián qī | preceding period; early stage |
| 前人 | qián rén | predecessor; forebears; the person facing you |
| 前景 | qián jǐng | foreground; vista; (future) prospects; perspective |
| 前边 | qián bian | front; the front side; in front of |
| 前辈 | qián bèi | senior; older generation; precursor |
| 前卫 | qián wèi | advanced guard; vanguard; avant-garde; forward (soccer position) |
| 前天 | qián tiān | the day before yesterday |
| 前列 | qián liè | the very front |
| 前锋 | qián fēng | vanguard; front line; a forward (sports) |
| 前身 | qián shēn | forerunner; predecessor; precursor; previous incarnation (Buddhism); jacket front |
| 前头 | qián tou | in front; at the head; ahead; above |
| 前沿 | qián yán | front-line; forward position; outpost; extending ahead; frontier (of science, technology etc) |
| 前言 | qián yán | preface; forward; introduction |
| 前肢 | qián zhī | forelimb; foreleg |
| 前所未有 | qián suǒ wèi yǒu | unprecedented |
| 前程 | qián chéng | future (career etc) prospects |
| 前任 | qián rèn | predecessor; ex-; former |
| 前哨 | qián shào | outpost |
| 前秦 | Qián Qín | Former Qin of the Sixteen Kingdoms (351-395) |
| 前门 | qián mén | front door; main entrance; honest and upright approach (as opposed to 后门, back-door or under the counter); Qianmen subway station on Beijing Subway Line 2 |
| 前夜 | qián yè | the eve; the night before |
| 前轮 | qián lún | front wheel |
| 前日 | qián rì | day before yesterday |
| 前额 | qián é | forehead |
| 前仆后继 | qián pū hòu jì | one falls, the next follows (idiom); stepping into the breach to replace fallen comrades; advancing wave upon wave |
| 前奏 | qián zòu | prelude; presage |
| 前庭 | qián tíng | front courtyard; vestibule |
| 前敌 | qián dí | front line (military) |
| 前臂 | qián bì | forearm |
| 前世 | qián shì | previous generations; previous incarnation (Buddhism) |
| 前汉 | Qián Hàn | Former Han Dynasty (206 BC-8 AD), also called 西汉, Western Han Dynasty |
| 前件 | qián jiàn | antecedent (logic) |
| 前桥 | Qián qiáo | Maebashi (surname or place name) |
| 前台 | qián tái | front platform; front of theatrical stage; foreground in politics etc (sometimes derog.); front desk; reception desk |
| 前例 | qián lì | precedent |
| 前夫 | qián fū | former husband |
| 前赴后继 | qián fù hòu jì | (saying) advance in waves of people |
