先前

nà shǒu gē wǒ xiān qián tīng guo

那首歌我先前听过。

I've heard that song before.

tā xiān qián hěn qiān xū

他先前很谦虚。

He used to be unpretentious.

zhè hái zi de xué xí chéng jì bǐ xiān qián qiáng duō le

这孩子的学习成绩比先前强多了。

This child does much better at school than before.

xiān qián de shǒu xí zhí xíng guān

先前的首席执行官

former chief executive officer

xiān qián de xié yì

先前的协议

prior agreement

wū zi xiān qián de zhǔ rén

屋子先前的主人

former owner of the house

wǒ xiān qián de jīng yà zhuǎn wéi le xǐ yuè

我先前的惊讶转为了喜悦。

My initial surprise was replaced by delight.

zhè ge gōng zuò nǐ xiān qián zuò guo ma

这个工作你先前做过吗？

Have you had any previous experience of this kind of work?

xiān qián de hūn yīn

先前的婚姻

previous marriage

jiā jù shì xiān qián de zhù hù liú xia de

家具是先前的住户留下的。

The furniture had been left by the previous occupants.

xiān qián de shì jiàn

先前的事件

antecedent event

tā xiān qián dāng lǜ shī shí wǒ céng zài tā nà lǐ shàng bān

她先前当律师时我曾在她那里上班。

I worked for her in her earlier incarnation as a lawyer.

zhè xiē jié guǒ hé xiān qián de yán jiū yī zhì

这些结果和先前的研究一致。

These results are in accord with earlier research.