先前

xiānqián

noun/adverb HSK 5 #7,174

Meanings

Xiānqián wǒ bù zhīdào zhè jiàn shì.

Previously I didn't know about this.

Hé xiānqián xiāngbǐ, tā biàn le hěn duō.

Compared to before, he has changed a lot.

Zhè hé tā xiānqián shuō de bù yīyàng.

This is different from what he said earlier.

usage

先前 is slightly more formal than 以前 (yǐqián) and 之前 (zhīqián). All three mean 'before,' but 先前 emphasizes a specific earlier time.

先 xiān

前 qián