先决条件 (xiān jué tiáo jiàn) — prerequisite; precondition

Definition

noun
prerequisiteprecondition

Examples

  • 先决条件。
    Liáng hǎo de jiào yù shì chéng gōng de xiān jué tiáo jiàn zhī yī.
    Good education is one of the prerequisites for success.
  • 先决条件。
    Hé píng shì fā zhǎn de xiān jué tiáo jiàn.
    Peace is a precondition for development.
  • 先决条件。
    Zhè xiē tiáo jiàn dōu shì shí xiàn mù biāo de xiān jué tiáo jiàn.
    These conditions are all preconditions for achieving the goal.

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.

先决settled beforehand
先xiānbefore决juédecide
偏正Modifier + head
条件conditions
条tiáoclause件jiànitem
联合Side by side

先 and 决 give settled beforehand, while 条 and 件 give conditions; together a condition settled 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 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 決; 决 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
氵Written in full as水shuǐ
Sound part声符shēngfú
夬
夬guài決jué
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 決 has 氵 (water) and 夬, which gives the sound. This describes 決, not the simplified 决.

Open 决 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 條; 条 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
木木mù
Sound part声符shēngfú
攸
攸yōu條tiáo
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 條 pairs 木, a small branch or stick, with 攸, which shows a person warned by a hand holding a stick, as a sound part; 条 is a later shortened shape.

Open 条 →

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

件 is made of 人, 'man', and 牛, 'cow'.

Open 件 →

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