noun
1the van
- the foremost part of a company of people moving or preparing to move forwards, especially the foremost division of an advancing military force先锋, 先头部队:
in the van were the foremost chiefs and some of the warriors astride horses.
走在队伍最前面的是骑着马的最重要的头领和一些勇士。
1.1
- figurative the forefront〈喻〉先驱, 先锋:
he was in the van of the movement to encourage the cultivation of wild flowers.
他是提倡种植野花运动的先锋。
词源
early 17th cent.: abbreviation of VANGUARD.