之前...
Reach for this when you want to flag that something happened before now or before another reference point. 之前 means 'before / previously,' and at the start of a sentence it works like English 'previously / before that.' Inside a sentence, you attach it to a noun or clause: '吃饭之前' = 'before eating.' Common in news and storytelling to signal background or earlier history.
Structure
之前 [CLAUSE] / [EVENT] 之前
zhīqián
How to Think About It
之前 is a postposition for time — it sits AFTER what it modifies. '吃饭之前' = 'before eating,' not '之前吃饭.' Used alone at the start of a sentence ('之前...'), it means 'previously, in the earlier period,' anchored to whatever time was just discussed. Think of 之前 as a backward-pointing arrow: place it after a noun and it points to the time just before that noun's event.
Examples
之前他还当过一次总理。
Zhīqián tā hái dāng guò yí cì zǒnglǐ.
Previously, he had also served as prime minister once.
吃饭之前要洗手。
Chī fàn zhīqián yào xǐ shǒu.
You should wash your hands before eating.
去中国之前，我学了一年中文。
Qù Zhōngguó zhīqián, wǒ xué le yì nián Zhōngwén.
Before going to China, I studied Chinese for a year.
Common Mistake
Learners borrow English word order and put 之前 in front of the noun like 'before X.' Chinese is the opposite: noun first, 之前 after. 之前吃饭 is wrong; 吃饭之前 is right.
之前吃饭，我洗手。
吃饭之前，我洗手。
Don't Confuse With
以前
以前 means 'in the past / formerly' and stands alone naturally ('我以前住在北京'). 之前 attaches to a specific reference point ('搬家之前').
前
前 is the bare form used in time-words like 三天前 ('three days ago'). 之前 is the standalone connector for clauses and events.
...的时候
...的时候 = 'when X happens' — simultaneous. 之前 = 'before X happens' — anterior. Pick by whether the action is during or before.
Practice
吃饭 ___ 要洗手。
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之前
___ 他还当过一次总理。
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之前
Arrange: 之前 / 我 / 睡觉 / 看书
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睡觉之前我看书。
Before the meeting, I called him.
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开会之前，我给他打了电话。
Describe something you do before a daily activity using 之前.
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上班之前我喝一杯咖啡。
Hear It in Real Episodes
This pattern appears in 1 Fluentide episode: