in front, before
前 centers on spatial or temporal priority: being in front or before something else. The two senses are natural extensions of the same idea of precedence.
last (i.e. immediately preceding); previous; ex-; former
in front (of); before (e.g. a building)
you
name
before; prior to; ago
prior; beforehand; in advance; before the fact; ex ante
previous time; last time; previous installment; previous instalment; previous session
natural; reasonable; obvious
front and rear; front and back; before and behind; back and forth
morning; a.m.
first half
condition; assumption; prerequisite; hypothesis
just before; just prior to
previous day; day before; eve; prior day; preceding day
in front of a station
pre-war days; before the war
before oneself; in front of one; nearby
the preceding year; the previous year; last year
just before; on the verge of; on the brink of
portion of food
presence of other people; (in) public; (in) front of others
front-facing
the former; the first
advance; moving forward; progress
前 is thought to combine 䒑 (a stylized form related to a foot or step) with 刂 (a knife or cutting tool), possibly suggesting cutting a path forward or advancing. The exact historical development is uncertain.
The top 䒑 looks like a pair of horns or a leading edge, and the bottom 刂 resembles a knife cutting a path. Imagine a pioneer cutting through brush to move in front of the group.
For ゼン, picture a Zen master sitting in front of you, guiding you before you begin meditation: Zen -> ゼン.