预演 (yù yǎn) — to preview, to rehearse, to run through (a perf…

Definition

A formal verb meaning to rehearse or run through a performance, presentation, or plan in advance. 预 can also mean 'preview' (a movie), as in 预演片.

verb

to previewto rehearseto run through (a performance, presentation, etc.)

预演。
Wǒ men míng tiān xiān yù yǎn yí xià zhè ge jié mù.
Let's first do a run-through of this program tomorrow.
预演。
Dǎo yǎn yāo qiú měi gè chǎng jǐng dōu yù yǎn yí biàn.
The director requires each scene to be rehearsed once.
预演。
Zhè ge fāng àn xū yào yù yǎn jǐ cì cái néng què dìng.
This plan needs several previews before it can be finalized.

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

预 means beforehand and 演 means to perform, so the word describes running through a performance before the main event.

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

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.

氵寅演

Meaning part形符xíngfú

氵Written in full as水shuǐ

Sound part声符shēngfú

寅

寅yín演yǎn

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

演 pairs 氵 (water) with 寅, which gives the sound yín.

Appears in