前

• Spatial: The front, the vanguard, or the head of a line; foremost or anterior.
• Temporal: A point in time prior to the present or a reference point; previous or former.
• Social: Positions of higher rank or honor (particularly within court or official hierarchies).

• Locative/Spatial: Functions as a noun ("the front"), an adjective ("front-facing"), or a prepositional marker ("in front of [X]").
• Temporal: Often functions as a relative marker; frequently paired with 後 to contrast "the former" and "the latter."
• Verbal: Used as an active verb of motion meaning "to advance," "to step forward," or "to proceed."

• 前 vs. 進: While both involve moving forward, 前 emphasizes the directional vector (moving toward the front), whereas 進 often implies entering a space or making progress/improvement.
• 前 vs. 先: Generally, 前 is positional/spatial and 先 is sequential/temporal, though these categories overlap frequently in practice.

There is a historical distinction between the reading for locative/temporal use (modern qián) and the verbal reading "to advance" (historically related to zhàn).

The glyph's grammatical identity—whether it describes a place or an action—is the primary pivot for translation. If a spatial translation feels clunky, test the glyph as a sequential marker.