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预备 (yù bèi) — to prepare, to get ready

Definition

预备 is a more formal/written near-synonym for the everyday 准备. Prefer 预备 for planned, official preparation (ceremonies, meetings, events); use 备课 for lesson prep.

verb
to prepareto get ready

Examples

  • 预备。
    Qǐng yù bèi hǎo míng tiān de huì yì cái liào.
    Please prepare the meeting materials for tomorrow.
  • 预备。
    Wǒ men zhèng zài yù bèi chū fā qián de zhǔn bèi gōng zuò.
    We are preparing the preparatory work before departure.
  • 预备，。
    Tā yǐ jīng yù bèi le hěn cháng shí jiān, dàn hái méi zhǔn bèi hǎo.
    He has been preparing for a long time, but still isn't ready.

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.

预yùbeforehand
备bèiprepare

预 means beforehand and 备 means prepare, so the word means to get ready in advance.

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 預; 预 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
頁頁yè
Sound part声符shēngfú
予
予yǔ預yù
Same sound today

The traditional form 預 combines 予 for the sound and 頁 for the meaning; the simplified 预 is a later shorthand.

Open 预 →

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 備; 备 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 備 shows a person carrying a quiver, matching the meaning 'ready; prepared'; the simplified 备 is a later abbreviation.

Open 备 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-95000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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