在前

在

zài

前

qián

ahead / formerly / in the past

Characters and words in 在前

在

zài = z + ai4

to exist; to be alive / (of sb or sth) to be (located) at / (used before a verb to indicate an action in progress)

在 = 一 + 亻 + 土 : Zorro (z) and Rosa Luxemburg (亻) exist (在) in the airplane's bathroom (ai4). Rosa is in the middle of balancing a flute (一) on her head and on a pile of clay (土). Zorro uses his rapier to inscribe "Z" into the flute, so as to mark that the pronunciation of "在" begins with "z".

前

qián = qi + an2

front / forward / ahead / first / top (followed by a number) / future / ago / before / BC (e.g. 前293年) / former / formerly

前 = 䒑 + 刖 : The Queen of Hearts is smoking some weed just inside the anthill's kitchen. She's so high that she thinks the lamp in front of her is the moon which wants to stab her with a kitchen knife.

前 = 䒑 + 刖 : Mnemonic symbol: a front panel.