祖宗 (zǔ zong) — ancestors; forebears | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

Same meaning as 祖先 ('ancestors'), but with a stronger reverent tone — 祖宗 emphasizes the forebears one venerates and inherits from, common in 祭拜祖宗 / 祖宗的恩情.

noun

ancestorsforebears

Examples

祖宗。
Měi nián qīng míng jié wǒ men dōu huì jì bài zǔ zong.
Every year at Qingming Festival we pay respects to our ancestors.
祖宗。
zǔ zong Chuán xià lái de jiā xùn wǒ men yào dài dài zūn shǒu.
The family teachings passed down by our ancestors must be followed generation after generation.
祖宗。
Wǒ men bù néng wàng le zǔ zong de ēn qíng.
We must not forget the kindness of our ancestors.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

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

祖zǔancestor

宗zōngancestor

祖 and 宗 both point to ancestors, giving the sense of forebears.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

且

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

祖 was made by adding 示 to 且, and 且 gives the sound.

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

宀示宗

宀宀miánhouse
示示shìspirit tablet

宗 pairs 宀, a house, with 示, a spirit tablet, to show an ancestral shrine or temple.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 7-9 Family & Kinship

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