前辈
qián bèi · HSK 7
senior
👴 前 (before) + 辈 (generation) = someone from the generation before you, a senior
前 means front or before, and 辈 means generation or one's lifetime/rank. Together they name people of an earlier generation: elders, seniors, or precursors who came before you in a field.
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.
辈 — non/not 非 + cart 车
Originally depicted a line of chariots (车) arranged in rows, with 非 indicating rows facing opposite directions. From 'row of carts' it extended to mean a generation, cohort, or class of people. Today it commonly means 'generation' or marks a group, as in 长辈 (elders).