先祖 (xiān zǔ) — ancestors; forefathers | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

先祖 is a formal written term for 'ancestors' — used in history, genealogy, and ceremonial contexts (e.g. Qingming), not casual speech about your own family.

noun

ancestorsforefathers

Examples

，先祖。
Zài qīng míng jié, wǒ men dōu yào jì bài xiān zǔ.
During Qingming Festival, we all worship our ancestors.
先祖。
xiān zǔ Liú xià le hěn duō bǎo guì de wén huà yí chǎn.
Our ancestors left behind many precious cultural heritages.
先祖。
Zhè běn zú pǔ jì zǎi zhe wǒ men de xiān zǔ.
This family tree records our ancestors.

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.

先xiānearlier/deceased

祖zǔancestor

先 means earlier or deceased, and 祖 means ancestor; together they refer to forefathers.

Characters in this word

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

止止zhǐfoot
儿儿érperson

先 combines 止 (foot) and 儿 (person) to show someone moving forward.

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

且

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

祖 was made by adding 示 to 且, and 且 gives the sound.

Appears in

Family & Kinship

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