also: ちょげん
noun
Formal term for an introductory statement in a book, thesis, or report. Often used in academic or literary contexts.
この本の緒言には、著者の研究動機が書かれている。
In the foreword of this book, the author's motivation for the research is written.
論文の緒言で、問題の背景を説明した。
In the preface of the thesis, I explained the background of the problem.
Compound of 緒 (しょ, 'beginning; thread') and 言 (げん, 'words; speech'), literally 'beginning words'. The reading しょげん is the standard Sino-Japanese reading; ちょげん is a less common variant.