In a sentence
我坐在窗户旁边，看了一会儿书。
Wǒ zuò zài chuānghu pángbiān, kàn le yíhuìr shū.
I sat by the window and read for a while.
出门以前，我会检查窗户。
Chūmén yǐqián, wǒ huì jiǎnchá chuānghu.
Before leaving home, I check the windows.
出门 is the event that follows the checking.
Grammar & reading
Put something before an event with 以前
Place an action before another event or before a stated time.
The book by the window
A reader looks for a missing book in the library. Practise describing where things are.
Words from the same lessons
About these meanings and examples
Laowai’s original website lessons and readings supply the short English meanings, sentence examples and usage notes. Each example links to its full context. For broader definitions, traditional characters and pronunciation audio, use the full dictionary.
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