先前xiānqián时间词,泛指以前或指某个时候以前{before; previously}: ～我和他同过学{He and I were classmates in the past.}|我们煤矿的机械化程度比～高多了。{The degree of mechanization in our coal mine is much higher than before.}[注意]NOTE: ‘以前’可以用在动词后面表示时间,例如‘吃饭以前要洗手’,‘先前’不能这样用。{以前 yǐqián can be used after a verb to indicate time, such as 吃饭以前要洗手 chī∥fàn yǐqián yào xǐ∥shǒu (wash your hands before having a meal), but 先前 cannot be used like this.}