前期
qián qī · HSK 7
early stage
⏪ 前 (front/before) + 期 (period) = the period before; the early phase
前 means front or earlier, 期 means a period or term. Together: the preceding stretch of time, the early stage of something. The same 期 shows up in 学期 (school term) and 日期 (date).
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.
期 — 其 (phonetic) + 月 (moon/time)
期 is a phono-semantic compound. The right side 月 (moon) signals meaning, since lunar cycles marked fixed time periods in ancient China. The left side 其 supplies the sound. Together it points to a set time, period, or appointed date — meanings still carried today in words like 期间 and 日期.