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先兆 (xiān zhào) — omen, portent, sign, indication

Definition

先兆 (xiānzhào) means a warning sign or early indicator that something is about to happen. The 的 construction is common: …的先兆 ('a sign of…'), as in 暴风雨的先兆.

noun
omenportentsignindication

Examples

  • 先兆。
    Zhè xiē hēi yún shì bào fēng yǔ de xiān zhào.
    These dark clouds are a sign of a storm.
  • 先兆。
    Chéng gōng de xiān zhào wǎng wǎng lái zì nǔ lì.
    The omen of success often comes from hard work.
  • 先兆。
    Ké sou kě néng shì gǎn mào de xiān zhào.
    Coughing may be an indication of a cold.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

先xiānbefore
兆zhàosign

“先” means before or in advance, and “兆” means sign or omen, so it denotes a sign that appears beforehand.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

先 combines 止 (foot) and 儿 (person) to show someone moving forward.

Open 先 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The form 兆 shows two 人 (person) parts on either side of a 水 (water) part: two people fleeing with their backs to a flood.

Open 兆 →
Appears in
Abstract Concepts

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