前往
qiánwǎng · HSK 3
go
➡️ 前 = front/ahead + 往 = go toward
前 means 'front' or 'ahead' (think 前面 = in front), and 往 means 'go toward' (as in 往北 = toward the north). Together 前往 literally reads 'go forward to' — a formal way to say depart for or head to a destination.
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.
往 — 彳 (step radical) + 主 (phonetic)
往 originally depicted a foot moving toward a place, with the 彳 radical signaling motion or walking. The right component 主 served mainly as a phonetic clue. Over time the meaning settled into 'to go (toward)' and, by extension, 'past' or 'previously'.