This is the 355th most frequent Chinese word.
之前
"之前" means "before" or "prior to."
The word '之前' specifies an action occurring prior to '出门' (leaving the house), indicating temporal precedence.
我在出门之前检查了门锁。
I checked the door lock before leaving the house.
Here, '之前' is used to denote a time frame prior to '战争' (the war), providing historical or sequence context.
他提到的那个故事发生在战争之前。
The story he mentioned happened before the war.
In this example, '之前' establishes a time context relevant to the act of '离开' (leaving), ensuring the sequence of events.