TSUMUGU · TOCFL 1 (est.) · 字
前
ㄑㄧㄢˊ · qián
noun — front; before, ago
字源 FORM — what the parts do
舟義a boat — worn to the 月 below
刂空a knife — added when this graph also wrote cutting (that word is 剪 now)
A foot (止) planted on a boat (舟) — the man stands still and the bank slides back: going forward without walking. Copying wore the foot to two ticks and the boat to 月; the knife (刂) came aboard when the same graph wrote cutting — that word moved out as 剪. Forward in space, earlier in time: 前面 ahead, 以前 before.
故事 STORY — a scene to remember it by
他站上船頭，腳（止）下船板（舟）一晃——岸往後退，人往前去。
He steps to the bow; the deck (舟) tips under his foot (止) — the bank slips backward, the man goes forward.
字源記憶法
意 · Meanings
(本義)前進— to advance
→前面、前方— ahead, in front常用
→以前、目前— before; the present moment — time seen from the front
(本義) original meaning · → ⇒ each arrow = one more step of extension