预见性 (yù jiàn xìng) — foresight, farsightedness

Definition

预见性 refers to the quality or ability to predict future outcomes before they happen. In academic and professional writing, it describes a planning or decision-making quality rather than a single prediction (which would be 预测).

noun
foresightfarsightedness

Examples

  • 预见性，。
    Zuò jué cè shí yào yǒu yù jiàn xìng, bù néng zhī kàn yǎn qián.
    When making decisions, you need to have foresight, not just look at the short term.
  • 预见性。
    Tā de yù jiàn xìng ràng gōng sī zài wēi jī zhōng tí qián zuò hǎo le zhǔn bèi.
    His farsightedness enabled the company to prepare in advance during the crisis.
  • 预见性。
    Quē fá yù jiàn xìng de guī huà wǎng wǎng huì dài lái hěn duō wèn tí.
    Planning that lacks foresight often brings about many problems.

Origin

Derived word
构词法gòucífǎ
后缀hòuzhuìSuffix

A fixed syllable at the end that turns the word into a noun, a person, a place or the like.

预见foresee
预yùbeforehand见jiànsee
偏正Modifier + head
性xìngquality

预见 means foresee, from 预 beforehand and 见 see; 性 gives a quality, so foresight.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 見; 见 is its simplified writing.

  • 目目mùeye
  • 卩卩jiékneeling person

The traditional form 見 pairs 目 (eye) with 卩 (kneeling person), showing a kneeling figure with a large eye for a head. The simplified 见 is a later shorthand.

Open 见 →

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
忄Written in full as心xīnheart
Sound part声符shēngfú
生
生shēng性xìng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

性 is built from 忄 (the heart) and 生 (a sound clue). The heart part connects the word to a person's inner nature or quality.

Open 性 →

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