前衛(ぜんえい)

ぜんえい
noun
vanguard; avant-garde
1. vanguard; front guard; forward position
The troops or players positioned at the front. Used in military and sports contexts.
前衛(ぜんえい)に立(た)つ。
To stand at the vanguard.
テニスでは前衛(ぜんえい)がネット際(ぎわ)を守(まも)る。
In tennis, the front player guards the net area.
部隊(ぶたい)の前衛(ぜんえい)が敵(てき)の動(うご)きを偵察(ていさつ)した。
The vanguard of the unit scouted the enemy's movements.
2. avant-garde; cutting edge
An innovative, experimental approach in art, music, literature, or other cultural fields that breaks with established conventions.
前衛(ぜんえい)芸術(げいじゅつ)に興味(きょうみ)がある。
I'm interested in avant-garde art.
あの画家(がか)は前衛(ぜんえい)の旗手(きしゅ)として知(し)られている。
That painter is known as a standard-bearer of the avant-garde.
前衛(ぜんえい)的(てき)な音楽(おんがく)は一般(いっぱん)の聴衆(ちょうしゅう)にはなかなか理解(りかい)されにくい。
Avant-garde music is often difficult for general audiences to appreciate.

Composed of 前(ぜん) (front) + 衛(えい) (guard/defense). Has two distinct uses: a military/sports term for the forward position, and a cultural term for experimental, boundary-pushing art.

COMMON COLLOCATIONS:

  • 前衛(ぜんえい)芸術(げいじゅつ): avant-garde art
  • 前衛(ぜんえい)的(てき): avant-garde, experimental
  • 前衛(ぜんえい)に立(た)つ: to stand at the forefront
  • 前衛(ぜんえい)の旗手(きしゅ): standard-bearer of the avant-garde

SIMILAR WORDS:

  • 後衛(こうえい): rear guard — the opposite position in military or sports
  • 先駆(せんく): pioneer, precursor — emphasizes being the first rather than the experimental nature
general
Added 2026.3.29 1:14
20000/20180_zenei