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预料 (yù liào) — to forecast; to anticipate; to predict; (noun) expectation; prediction

Definition

预料 is a more neutral 'to anticipate / predict' — less eager than 期待 (which means looking forward to) and more general than 预测 (a formal forecast of data/events).

verb
to forecastto anticipateto predict
noun
expectationprediction

Examples

  • 预料。
    Tā yù liào jīn nián jīng jì qíng kuàng huì gèng hǎo.
    He predicts that the economic situation will be better this year.
  • 预料。
    Wǒ zǎo jiù yù liào dào tā huì zuò chū zhè ge jué dìng.
    I had already anticipated that he would make this decision.
  • 预料。
    Tā de yù liào zuì hòu méi yǒu fā shēng.
    His prediction didn't happen in the end.

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yùin advance
料liàoguess

预 means beforehand and 料 means guess; together they express anticipating something.

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 →

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

料 combines 米 (rice) with 斗 (a dipper), showing rice being measured or gauged.

Open 料 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 6HSK 2.0 Level 6Thinking & Cognition5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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