跟前
gēn qián , gēn qian · HSK 5
front
👣 跟 (heel/follow) + 前 (front) = the space right at your heels in front
跟 means heel or to follow closely; 前 means front or before. Together they mark the spot directly ahead of someone — close enough to be at their heels. Also extends to just before a date.
跟 — foot radical 足 + 艮 (phonetic)
A semantic-phonetic compound. The left side 足 (foot) gives the meaning, since 跟 originally referred to the heel of the foot. The right side 艮 supplies the sound. From 'heel' it extended to 'follow behind,' and in modern Chinese it also works as 'with' or 'and.'
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.