预期 (yù qī) — to expect, to anticipate | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

预期 (yùqī) means 'to anticipate / expect' something objectively, often a result or trend — more neutral and businesslike than 期望, which carries hope. Use 预料 when something actually happens and you predicted it.

verb

to expectto anticipate

Examples

预期。
Shì chǎng yù qī míng nián huì hǎo zhuǎn.
The market expects that next year will improve.
预期。
Wǒ men yù qī zhè cì kǎo shì bú huì tài nán.
We expect this exam won't be too difficult.
预期。
Tā méi yù qī dào huì yǒu zhè me duō rén cān jiā.
He didn't expect so many people to attend.

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

期qīexpect

预 means beforehand and 期 means expect; together they express looking forward to 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.

予頁預

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.

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

其

其qí期qī

Same sound today

The original form paired 其 for its sound with 日 (sun). A related form changed that sun to 月, and this later developed into 期.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 6 HSK 2.0 Level 6 Thinking & Cognition

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