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From conversation in an anime （へうげもの、第15話）：

> （古田佐助） 遠く南蛮に至るまで小さきが良いなどと聞いたこともございませぬ。
>
> （[千宗易](https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%8D%83%E5%88%A9%E4%BC%91)） 茶頭である
> **以前**
> に、しがない魚問屋にすぎぬ私ですらわかるのです。いずれ皆にも伝わることでしょう。([字幕](http://textuploader.com/5zvn2))

Is it 以前 ② or ③ from [here](http://www.weblio.jp/content/%E4%BB%A5%E5%89%8D)?
I'm confused because ③ seems to go with context (though ② may fit as well?)
but I've not seen it used without a past-tense 助動詞.
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-01-23T19:03:18.287
30664
2019-08-24T12:36:54.610
2020-06-17T08:18:27.500
-1
12320
question
grammar meaning
Usage of 以前 here
This usage of 「[以前]{いぜん}」 is actually quite common. We say things like:

> 「ファッションモデルである **以前** にひとりの[人間]{にんげん}です。このような[扱]{あつか}いは[許]{ゆる}せません。」
>
> "I am a human being before I am a fashion model. I refuse to be treated like
> this."

Here, 「以前」 is being used to describe _**priorities**_ in a given situation
rather than a temporal order of things. Even though the focus is on the
priorities, it is also true that the speaker has been a human longer than she
has been a model.

Thus, I would have to pick ② if I _**had to**_ choose among the three.
CC BY-SA 4.0
2016-01-23T23:20:59.797
30667
2019-08-24T12:36:54.610
2020-06-17T08:18:27.500
-1
30664
answer