DICTIONARY
The Chinese word congqian - 从前 - cóngqián
(formerly in Chinese)
Phonetic script (Hanyu Pinyin)
cóngqián
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(Mandarin = standard Chinese without accent)
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English translations
formerly,
once upon a time, some time ago, at one time, in past days
Chinese characters:
For obtaining stroke order animations, visit the links to the individual characters below.
从前 ( congqian / cóngqián ) in traditional characters
從前
Chinese Pinyin example sentence with 从前 ( congqian / cóngqián ) ⓘWriting in Pinyin
Before using this Pinyin example sentence, consider that Chinese characters should always be your first choice in written communication.
If you cannot use Chinese characters, it is preferable to use the Pinyin with tones. Only use the Pinyin without tones if there's no other option (e.g. writing a text message from/to a mobile phone that doesn't support special characters such as ā, í, ǒ, ù).
Before using this Pinyin example sentence, consider that Chinese characters should always be your first choice in written communication.
If you cannot use Chinese characters, it is preferable to use the Pinyin with tones. Only use the Pinyin without tones if there's no other option (e.g. writing a text message from/to a mobile phone that doesn't support special characters such as ā, í, ǒ, ù).
Congqian you yi zuo shan.
Cóngqián yǒu yī zuò shān.– English translation: Once upon a time there was a mountain.
Tags and additional information
(Meaning of individual characters, character components etc.)
since | ago
从前 ( congqian / cóngqián ) belongs to the 1000 most common composed words in Chinese language (rank 563)
从前 ( congqian / cóngqián ) belongs to the 1000 most common composed words in Chinese language (rank 563)
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Version 5.52 / Last updated: 2026-11-03