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前不见古人

前不見古人
Qián bú jiàn gǔrén
quotation

Meanings

  1. 1 ahead, no ancients are to be seen
  2. 2 to stand alone in an era without peers before or after
  3. 3 (lit.) in front, do not see people of old

Examples

HSK 7-9
前不见古人，后不见来者。他站在时代的最前沿。
Qiánbújiàngǔrén, hòubújiànláizhě. Tā zhàn zài shídài de zuì qiányán.
'No ancients before, no successors behind' - he stands at the very edge of his era.
HSK 7-9
登上高台，颇有前不见古人的寂寥之感。
Dēngshàng gāotái, pō yǒu qiánbújiàngǔrén de jìliáo zhī gǎn.
Climbing the tall terrace, I felt the loneliness of 'seeing no ancients before.'

Tips

history
From Chen Zi'ang's (陈子昂, Early Tang) 《登幽州台歌》: 前不见古人，后不见来者。念天地之悠悠，独怆然而涕下 (No ancients before me, no successors behind; thinking of heaven and earth's vastness, alone and grieving, tears fall.) Written on the Youzhou (near modern Beijing) terrace where Yan general 乐毅 had been honored - Chen laments that no wise ruler of his own era recognizes him.
usage
The full 前不见古人，后不见来者 is glossed as 'unique / unprecedented.' In praise-use, it means nobody's ever done it before; in original poem-use, it expresses historical loneliness.

Stroke Order

前 qián
不 bù
见 jiàn
古 gǔ
人 rén