始祖 (shǐ zǔ) — first ancestor; earliest progenitor

Definition

始祖 means the founding or earliest ancestor of a lineage, nation, or species — used in formal, written, and historical contexts (e.g., 人类始祖, 中华民族的始祖), not for ordinary family relatives.

noun

first ancestorearliest progenitor

Examples

始祖。
Rén lèi gòng tóng de shǐ zǔ tōng cháng bèi rèn wéi shì fēi zhōu de zǎo qī zhì rén.
The common ancestor of humanity is generally believed to be early Homo sapiens in Africa.
始祖。
Zhè běn zú pǔ jì zǎi le wǒ men jiā zú de shǐ zǔ.
This genealogy records our family's earliest ancestor.
始祖。
Xiāng chuán huáng dì shì zhōng huá mín zú de shǐ zǔ.
Legend has it that the Yellow Emperor is the earliest ancestor of the Chinese nation.

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