Chinese symbol for “predecessor”
前任
qián rèn
predecessor; ex-; former; ex (spouse etc)
The closest CC-CEDICT match for predecessor is 前任 (qián rèn), defined as: predecessor; ex-; former; ex (spouse etc).
Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.
Characters and stroke order
Other Chinese words for “predecessor”
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 前人 | qián rén | predecessor; forebears |
| 上任 | shàng rèn | to take office; previous (incumbent) |
| 前身 | qián shēn | forerunner; predecessor |
Related words
Other words that share a character with 前任.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 目前 | mù qián | at the present time; currently |
| 之前 | zhī qián | before; prior to |
| 以前 | yǐ qián | before; formerly |
| 前往 | qián wǎng | to leave for; to proceed towards; to go to |
| 面前 | miàn qián | in front of; facing |
| 当前 (當前) | dāng qián | the present time; to be faced with |
| 任何 | rèn hé | any; whatever; whichever |
| 任务 (任務) | rèn wu | mission; assignment; task; duty; role; 项 (xiàng) |
See also: Japanese symbol for “predecessor”.
Data: CC-CEDICT (CC BY-SA 4.0); Unihan Database (Unicode License v3); Make Me a Hanzi (Arphic Public License (graphics.txt); LGPL-3.0-or-later (dictionary.txt)); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.