Questions & Answers about pǎobù yǐqián xiān rèshēn.
Why does 以前 come after 跑步? I thought 以前 meant before.
In Chinese, 以前 often comes after a word or phrase to mean before that time / before doing that.
So:
跑步以前 = before running
This is different from English word order. English says before running, but Chinese says running + before.
You can think of it as:
- 跑步 = running
- 以前 = before that time
So the whole phrase means before running.
Is 跑步 a verb here or a noun?
It is functioning as an action phrase here: to run / running.
In Chinese, verbs and verb phrases can often be used directly before time words like 以前, 以后, 的时候, and so on.
So 跑步以前 is very natural and means before running.
What does 先 do in this sentence?
先 means first or do this first.
In this sentence, it shows that warming up happens before the main action:
- 先热身 = warm up first
There is an implied next step: then run.
So even though Chinese does not explicitly say then run, the idea is:
- Before running, first warm up.