前

The original form of this character was 歬.

Oracle bone script (甲骨文 jiǎgǔwén):

Depict 止 (foot) under what looks like 舟 (boat), with paths (行) drawn on either side.

This pictogram was interpreted as “a boat moving forward,” leading to the meaning “front, ahead.”

Alternative interpretation:

Similar to the old form of 履 (신 리, “to wear shoes”), the 舟 shape may have represented a shoe, implying “wearing shoes and moving forward.”

Bronze inscriptions (金文 jinwen) and Small Seal script (소전):

Some forms omit the side 行 components.

Clerical script (隸書 lìshū):

The modern form developed here, with 止 and 舟 becoming distorted into the components 䒑 and 月 in their current forms.

Variant with 刀:

In seal script (篆書 zhuànshū), a version with 刀 (knife) added (𣦃 / 𠝣) appeared to convey the sense of “to cut.”

Later, the cutting meaning split off into the separate character 剪 (자를 전), while 前 reverted entirely to meaning “front.”

In academic or formal writing, 前 is also used to mark B.C. dates. For example: 前 120년 = “120 B.C.”