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潜伏 (qián fú) — to lurk, to be in hiding (for people, animals); to be latent, to be dormant (for diseases, dangers)

Definition

潜伏 emphasizes staying hidden over time while waiting or remaining undetected, used for people (spies) and for latent conditions (viruses, dangers). Unlike 隐瞒 or 掩盖, which actively cover something up, 潜伏 stresses lying low unnoticed.

verb
to lurkto be in hiding (for people, animals)to be latentto be dormant (for diseases, dangers)

Examples

  • 潜伏。
    Jiàn dié qián fú zài chéng shì lǐ.
    The spy lurks in the city.
  • 。
    Zhè zhǒng bìng dú qián fú qī hěn cháng.
    This virus has a long incubation period.
  • 潜伏，。
    Tā zài àn zhōng qián fú, děng dài jī huì.
    He lurks in the dark, waiting for an opportunity.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

潜qiánhide
伏fúcrouch

潜 and 伏 both suggest concealment, giving the sense of hiding or lying dormant.

Characters in this word

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 潛; 潜 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
水水shuǐ
Sound part声符shēngfú
朁
朁cǎn潛qián
Same sound today

The form 潛 has 水 as a meaning part and 朁 as a sound part; this note is about 潛, not the simplified 潜.

Open 潜 →

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

伏 combines 人 (person) and 犬 (dog), as a dog beside a person or a person taking a dog's low posture, to show lying prostrate.

Open 伏 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Crime & Police

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