before; prior to; ago; previously; beforehand
之 (zhī) · 3 strokes
Pictograph of a foot (止) going out of an area. The current meaning is a phonetic loan.
前 (qián) · 9 strokes
Phonosemantic compound. 歬 represents the sound, and 刂 represents the meaning. Based on the original meaning "cut", now written as 剪. The current meaning "in front" is a phonetic loan.