<p>In my opinion,</p>

<blockquote>
  <ul>
  <li>在［那事］之前的兩年……</li>
  <li>在［那事］的前兩年……</li>
  </ul>
</blockquote>

<p>both mean <strong>during the two years before［那事］</strong>. Compare</p>

<blockquote>
  <ul>
  <li>在［那事］之後的兩年……</li>
  <li>在［那事］的後兩年……</li>
  </ul>
  
  <p><em>During the two years (immediately) after</em>［那事］</p>
</blockquote>

<p>I suggest</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>在［發生Ｘ］的兩年前， 。。。。。。</p>
  
  <p><em>Two years before X happened, ...</em></p>
</blockquote>

<hr>

<p>Another technique, which is perhaps not strictly the answer you're looking for, is to make the context very clear in a printed book. Specifically, an occasional first-person narrative should be actually using a <strong>different font</strong>, akin to English novels sometimes using <em>italics</em>.</p>

<blockquote>
  <p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/ArDou.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/ArDou.png" alt="enter image description here"></a></p>
  
  <p>Excerpt from a digital edition of 紅樓夢 from 國立臺灣大學中文系 (<a href="http://club.ntu.edu.tw/~davidhsu/The%20Story%20of%20the%20Stone/001-Stone1/120.pdf" rel="nofollow noreferrer">source</a>). The main body of the text is in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ming_(typefaces)" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Song/Ming Typeface</a>, while direct quotes are given in a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regular_script" rel="nofollow noreferrer">regular script typeface</a>.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>I believe this is why it is difficult for native speakers to answer your query. Printed books may employ the following font styles for different parts of the text:</p>

<ul>
<li>Song/Ming typeface for the main body;</li>
<li>Regular script typeface for quotes, or a short segment indicating first-person narratives;</li>
<li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imitation_Song" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Imitation Song typeface</a> for annotations.</li>
</ul>

<p>In your case, all that's needed for clarification is to print the narration in regular script, and simply write “兩年之前，。。。。。。”.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-10-23T10:37:19.533Z
Very interesting! I need to look into this. The contemporary books I've read haven't really deployed this at all that I remember, but it's entirely possible I just sort of took it for granted. It would certainly be a very intriguing approach! Thank you for your response.
A Question Asker
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-10-23T10:44:57.223Z
I don't think so……We use 间/中 to indicate duration. A narrator: 这是一段年代久远的故事。还是在我被大学录取的两年之前，那时候我突患重疾，饮食不思，眼见着一天天形销骨立。这两年间，家人带着我看遍大江南北、黄河内外无数名医妙手，求来不计其数的上下方剂，均无果。
Toosky Hierot
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-10-23T10:48:50.950Z
In this paragraph (self-written)，I don't see any ambiguity about duration or time point. Perhaps there are other components delineating time, but I don't know why a native thinks it difficult. ( •̥́ ˍ •̀ू )
Toosky Hierot
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-10-23T10:51:05.980Z
两年之前 is enough, I think ԅ(¯ㅂ¯ԅ)
Toosky Hierot
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-10-23T11:06:38.220Z
@TooskyHierot I don't think 間 is necessary to indicate duration - 今年的前半年發生了Ｘ means *X happened during the first half of this year*.
dROOOze
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-10-23T11:44:02.100Z
@droooze 我倒认为这是一个另外的用法……今年的前半年并非指今年以前再半年，而是类似于the first half这样的说法，只不过是因为中心语是今年才会有前半年的说法。另外，在[某事]的前两年 这个说法也并非如您所说的 Two years before [某事]。“我们做这个项目的前两年不太顺利” “抗日战争的前两年国民政府几乎完全没有组织像样的抵抗”我目前还没想出“的前两年”构成状语时表示“之前”的意思的例子。
Toosky Hierot
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-10-23T11:49:47.313Z
@TooskyHierot I didn't say 在[某事]的前兩年 means `Two years before [某事]`, I said it means `**during** the two years before [某事]`. To me, 
我們做這個項目的前兩年不太順利 means *Our work **during** the first two years on this project didn't go smoothly*.
dROOOze
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-10-23T12:00:15.770Z
@droooze Your translation is quite correct. But emm, does "before" actually mean that way?
Toosky Hierot
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-10-23T12:04:35.220Z
@TooskyHierot well, it can. 在某總統被選舉的前三個月 means *during the three months before the president was elected*.
dROOOze
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-10-23T12:13:17.600Z
@droooze 在某总统当选前的三个月间xxxxx 才是 xxxx during the three months before the president was elected. 在某总统选举的前三个月 应该是 during the first three months of the presidential election. 选举是一个process，或者说是此流程进行的时段，举出/选出/xx当选才是最终的结果。这个区别倒还挺大。（此处对应的汉语总统二字意义也发生了变化，第一个是特定的一个选为总统的人，第二个是“选举”的修饰语，表示“是一个选出总统的选举”）
Toosky Hierot
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-10-23T12:20:16.733Z
啊抱歉看漏了个字，但是这样一来“在某总统被选举的前三个月”听起来就是一个错误的句子了
Toosky Hierot
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-10-23T12:22:54.263Z
@TooskyHierot oops I added that in by mistake......anyway you're right about the procedural aspect, which should be clear through the context. "During the 3 months before the president was elected, X" is grammatically valid in English, and it implies that X was done during the three months leading up to the presidential election.
dROOOze
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-10-23T12:28:22.003Z
@droooze Oh, that is what I don't know. I have taken it as 在总统选出前的三个月.(ﾟoﾟ;
Toosky Hierot
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-10-23T09:55:03.803Z
2018-10-23T10:07:25.740Z
2018-10-23T10:07:25.740Z
dROOOze
<p>a "traditional" approach, using the sexagenary cycle (干支); in which 干支 was used to indicating year.</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>the events are happening during some time during the narrators high school years</p>
</blockquote>

<p>supposed it's 2010-2016, which would be </p>

<p>2010 - "庚寅年"</p>

<p>2011 - "辛卯年"</p>

<p>2012 - "壬辰年"</p>

<p>2013 - "癸巳年"</p>

<p>2014 - "甲午年"</p>

<p>2015 - "乙未年"</p>

<p>2016 - "丙申年"</p>

<p>used this sexagenary cycle to mark your events,</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>two years before I had gotten a bad sickness, which is why I drank so much water</p>
</blockquote>

<p>two year before your high school years, it would be 2008 (戊子年)</p>

<p>then, write somethings like:</p>

<p>戊子歲．予罹重病．癒以飲水之方．至今遵之</p>

<p>in which 戊子 is two "entries" before "庚寅", so, reader should understand that you inserted an event two years prior to your high school years.</p>

<p>have fun :)</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-10-23T11:28:39.610Z
Lmao I did NOT expect to see an answer suggesting the use of 干支 (and, apparently, writing my story in classical chinese :P)
A Question Asker
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-10-23T11:33:23.547Z
why not? . . .　
水巷孑蠻
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-10-23T11:16:44.463Z
2018-10-23T11:16:44.463Z
水巷孑蠻
<p>I'll put as below:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>Two years before I had gotten a bad sickness -- 我患重病前的两年之前 // 2 years before</p>
  
  <p>我患重病前的前两年 // <em>within those 2 years</em> or <em>sometime during those 2 years</em></p>
</blockquote>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-10-23T13:15:20.577Z
emmm, 这里应该断成, two years before, I had gotten a bad sickness, ...（两年前，我患恶疾）你那样的说法不应该用过去完成时，而是一般过去时表达。（一孔之见）
Toosky Hierot
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-10-23T13:48:22.910Z
@TooskyHierot Op said two years before that, so i take it as [two yeas] [before i had gotten a bad sickness].
dan
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-10-23T12:52:25.563Z
2018-10-23T12:52:25.563Z
dan
<p>As drooze mentioned 在那之前的两年 would probably be interpreted as <strong>during</strong> the two years before/<strong>in</strong> the two years before. </p>

<p>I think the best way to resolve the ambiguity would be to say something like:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>那件事发生之前,大概两年前，。。。</p>
</blockquote>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-10-23T14:53:01.637Z
2018-10-23T14:53:01.637Z
Ringil
<p>In English this is very easy to express, but I'm struggling to express it in Chinese. I've asked multiple natives and they are all struggling with this (much to everyone's surprise).</p>

<p>Basically, you have the following situation: a story with a narrator explaining some events in the past. The events are happening during some time during the narrators high school years. The narrator at one point wants to explain the equivalent of: "Two years before I had gotten a bad sickness, which is why I drank so much water."</p>

<p>We have all sort of thought up the following:</p>

<pre><code>在那之前的两年……
</code></pre>

<p>but the problem with this is that in Chinese if you use this it's unclear whether the event was 2 years before, or sometime during those 2 years. It's a duration, not a specific time.</p>

<p>Is there any way to express "2 points before some ambiguous time"? I don't want to have to resort to absolute times for everything. Thank you for your help!</p>

<grammar>
How to express: a narrator is narrating an event in the past, and wants to describe an event 2 years before that
# How to express: a narrator is narrating an event in the past, and wants to describe an event 2 years before that

(Asked by: username_0 on 2018-10-23)

In English this is very easy to express, but I'm struggling to express it in Chinese. I've asked multiple natives and they are all struggling with this (much to everyone's surprise).
Basically, you have the following situation: a story with a narrator explaining some events in the past. The events are happening during some time during the narrators high school years. The narrator at one point wants to explain the equivalent of: "Two years before I had gotten a bad sickness, which is why I drank so much water."
We have all sort of thought up the following:
在那之前的两年……

but the problem with this is that in Chinese if you use this it's unclear whether the event was 2 years before, or sometime during those 2 years. It's a duration, not a specific time.
Is there any way to express "2 points before some ambiguous time"? I don't want to have to resort to absolute times for everything. Thank you for your help!

**Tags:** grammar


---

## 4 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2018-10-23. Score: 3

In my opinion,

> * 在［那事］之前的兩年……
> * 在［那事］的前兩年……

both mean **during the two years before［那事］**. Compare

> * 在［那事］之後的兩年……
> * 在［那事］的後兩年……
>
> *During the two years (immediately) after*［那事］

I suggest

> 在［發生Ｘ］的兩年前， 。。。。。。
>
> *Two years before X happened, ...*

---

Another technique, which is perhaps not strictly the answer you're looking for, is to make the context very clear in a printed book. Specifically, an occasional first-person narrative should be actually using a **different font**, akin to English novels sometimes using *italics*.

> [![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/ArDou.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/ArDou.png)
>
> Excerpt from a digital edition of 紅樓夢 from 國立臺灣大學中文系 ([source](http://club.ntu.edu.tw/~davidhsu/The%20Story%20of%20the%20Stone/001-Stone1/120.pdf)). The main body of the text is in [Song/Ming Typeface](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ming_(typefaces)), while direct quotes are given in a [regular script typeface](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regular_script).

I believe this is why it is difficult for native speakers to answer your query. Printed books may employ the following font styles for different parts of the text:

* Song/Ming typeface for the main body;
* Regular script typeface for quotes, or a short segment indicating first-person narratives;
* [Imitation Song typeface](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imitation_Song) for annotations.

In your case, all that's needed for clarification is to print the narration in regular script, and simply write “兩年之前，。。。。。。”.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Very interesting! I need to look into this. The contemporary books I've read haven't really deployed this at all that I remember, but it's entirely possible I just sort of took it for granted. It would certainly be a very intriguing approach! Thank you for your response.  
> **username_2**: I don't think so……We use 间/中 to indicate duration. A narrator: 这是一段年代久远的故事。还是在我被大学录取的两年之前，那时候我突患重疾，饮食不思，眼见着一天天形销骨立。这两年间，家人带着我看遍大江南北、黄河内外无数名医妙手，求来不计其数的上下方剂，均无果。  
> **username_2**: In this paragraph (self-written)，I don't see any ambiguity about duration or time point. Perhaps there are other components delineating time, but I don't know why a native thinks it difficult. ( •̥́ ˍ •̀ू )  
> **username_2**: 两年之前 is enough, I think ԅ(¯ㅂ¯ԅ)  
> **username_1**: @TooskyHierot I don't think 間 is necessary to indicate duration - 今年的前半年發生了Ｘ means *X happened during the first half of this year*.  
> **username_2**: @droooze 我倒认为这是一个另外的用法……今年的前半年并非指今年以前再半年，而是类似于the first half这样的说法，只不过是因为中心语是今年才会有前半年的说法。另外，在[某事]的前两年 这个说法也并非如您所说的 Two years before [某事]。“我们做这个项目的前两年不太顺利” “抗日战争的前两年国民政府几乎完全没有组织像样的抵抗”我目前还没想出“的前两年”构成状语时表示“之前”的意思的例子。  
> **username_1**: @TooskyHierot I didn't say 在[某事]的前兩年 means `Two years before [某事]`, I said it means `**during** the two years before [某事]`. To me,  我們做這個項目的前兩年不太順利 means *Our work **during** the first two years on this project didn't go smoothly*.  
> **username_2**: @droooze Your translation is quite correct. But emm, does "before" actually mean that way?  
> **username_1**: @TooskyHierot well, it can. 在某總統被選舉的前三個月 means *during the three months before the president was elected*.  
> **username_2**: @droooze 在某总统当选前的三个月间xxxxx 才是 xxxx during the three months before the president was elected. 在某总统选举的前三个月 应该是 during the first three months of the presidential election. 选举是一个process，或者说是此流程进行的时段，举出/选出/xx当选才是最终的结果。这个区别倒还挺大。（此处对应的汉语总统二字意义也发生了变化，第一个是特定的一个选为总统的人，第二个是“选举”的修饰语，表示“是一个选出总统的选举”）  
> **username_2**: 啊抱歉看漏了个字，但是这样一来“在某总统被选举的前三个月”听起来就是一个错误的句子了  
> **username_1**: @TooskyHierot oops I added that in by mistake......anyway you're right about the procedural aspect, which should be clear through the context. "During the 3 months before the president was elected, X" is grammatically valid in English, and it implies that X was done during the three months leading up to the presidential election.  
> **username_2**: @droooze Oh, that is what I don't know. I have taken it as 在总统选出前的三个月.(ﾟoﾟ;  

---

### Answer by username_3 on 2018-10-23. Score: 1

a "traditional" approach, using the sexagenary cycle (干支); in which 干支 was used to indicating year.

> the events are happening during some time during the narrators high school years

supposed it's 2010-2016, which would be

2010 - "庚寅年"

2011 - "辛卯年"

2012 - "壬辰年"

2013 - "癸巳年"

2014 - "甲午年"

2015 - "乙未年"

2016 - "丙申年"

used this sexagenary cycle to mark your events,

> two years before I had gotten a bad sickness, which is why I drank so much water

two year before your high school years, it would be 2008 (戊子年)

then, write somethings like:

戊子歲．予罹重病．癒以飲水之方．至今遵之

in which 戊子 is two "entries" before "庚寅", so, reader should understand that you inserted an event two years prior to your high school years.

have fun :)

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Lmao I did NOT expect to see an answer suggesting the use of 干支 (and, apparently, writing my story in classical chinese :P)  
> **username_3**: why not? . . .　  

---

### Answer by username_4 on 2018-10-23. Score: 0

I'll put as below:

> Two years before I had gotten a bad sickness -- 我患重病前的两年之前 // 2 years before
>
> 我患重病前的前两年 // *within those 2 years* or *sometime during those 2 years*

> **Comments:**
> **username_2**: emmm, 这里应该断成, two years before, I had gotten a bad sickness, ...（两年前，我患恶疾）你那样的说法不应该用过去完成时，而是一般过去时表达。（一孔之见）  
> **username_4**: @TooskyHierot Op said two years before that, so i take it as [two yeas] [before i had gotten a bad sickness].  

---

### Answer by username_5 on 2018-10-23. Score: 0

As drooze mentioned 在那之前的两年 would probably be interpreted as **during** the two years before/**in** the two years before.

I think the best way to resolve the ambiguity would be to say something like:

> 那件事发生之前,大概两年前，。。。


---

