以前
いぜん · izen · JLPT N3 · noun
past
🕰️ 以 from + 前 before; izen sounds like is gone, as in what is gone is past
以 marks a starting point (from, by) and 前 means front or before, so 以前 is from before, meaning earlier times. The sound izen is close to is gone in English: things that are izen are already gone.
以 — phonetic 㠯 (plow/tool) + 人 (person)
Originally a pictograph of a hand-held plow or tool (㠯), later combined with 人 (person) to suggest 'using' something. The core meaning 'to use' extended metaphorically to 'by means of', 'with', and 'because of'. In modern Chinese it functions mainly as a grammatical particle.
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.