前夕
qián xī · HSK 7
eve
🌆 前 (before) + 夕 (evening/dusk) = the evening before, the eve
夕 is the dusk/evening character; 前 means before or front. Stack them and you get the day before an event — its eve. Think New Year's Eve = 除夕, same 夕.
前 — top 丷 + 一 + 月 (moon) + 刂 (knife)
Originally written 歬, depicting a foot 止 above a boat 舟, meaning to advance or go forward. Over time the form evolved and the knife radical 刂 was added, while 止 and 舟 fused into the modern shape. The core meaning 'front, before, ahead' has stayed consistent.