Meaning
前门 literally means 'front door' or 'front gate,' referring to the main entrance of a building or area. It combines 前 (front) and 门 (door/gate). When capitalized, Qianmen also refers to a famous historic gate and neighborhood in Beijing, located south of Tiananmen Square.
Usage
In everyday conversation, 前门 typically refers to the front entrance of homes, shops, or vehicles (like the front door of a bus). In Beijing, people use it as a proper noun for the Qianmen area, a popular commercial and tourist district. The word contrasts naturally with 后门 (back door).
Examples
- 01请从前门上车，后门下车。, .Please board through the front door and exit through the back door.
- 02我们周末去前门逛街了。.We went shopping at Qianmen over the weekend.
Characters
Measure words
- 扇一扇前门
- 道一道前门
Common collocations
- 从前门进to enter through the front door
- 前门大街Qianmen Street (in Beijing)
- 锁上前门to lock the front door
Antonyms
Origin
A straightforward compound of two basic characters: 前 (front) + 门 (door). The Beijing landmark Qianmen gets its name from being the front gate to the Inner City during the Ming and Qing dynasties.