前者

qiánzhě

noun HSK 7 #17,588

Meanings

1 the former
2 the first (of two mentioned)

Characters

front; previous

one who; the one

Examples

咖啡和茶，我更喜欢前者。

Kāfēi hé chá, wǒ gèng xǐhuan qiánzhě.

Coffee and tea — I prefer the former.

两种方案各有优缺点，但前者更可行。

Liǎng zhǒng fāng'àn gè yǒu yōuquēdiǎn, dàn qiánzhě gèng kěxíng.

Both plans have pros and cons, but the former is more feasible.

Tips

usage

前者 (the former) is always paired with 后者 (the latter). Used in formal writing and structured comparisons.

Stroke Order

前 qián

者 zhě