Breakdown of miànshì yǐqián yào lěngjìng.
以前yǐqián
before
要yào
to need to
面试miànshì
job interview
冷静lěngjìng
calm
Questions & Answers about miànshì yǐqián yào lěngjìng.
Why is 以前 placed after 面试?
Because Chinese often makes before X by putting 以前 or 之前 after the event or time word.
So:
- 面试以前 = before the interview
- 吃饭以前 = before eating / before the meal
- 上课以前 = before class
This is a very common pattern:
- X 以前 = before X
- X 以后 = after X
Is 面试 a noun here or a verb?
It is functioning like an event noun here: the interview.
A useful thing to know is that many Chinese words can behave more flexibly than English words. 面试 can mean:
- to interview / to have an interview as a verb
- an interview as a noun-like event
In 面试以前, it refers to the event itself, so the phrase means before the interview.
Why is there no subject in the sentence?
Chinese often leaves out the subject when it is obvious from context.
So 面试以前要冷静 could mean:
- Before the interview, you need to stay calm
- Before an interview, one should stay calm
- Before the interview, we should stay calm
The sentence sounds like general advice, so the subject is omitted naturally.
If you want to add one, you could say:
- 你面试以前要冷静。
- 面试以前，你要冷静。