TongTong
Sign in

征兆 (zhēng zhào) — omen; sign (that portends something)

Definition

A noun meaning 'sign' or 'omen' — an observable hint that something (often something about to happen, good or bad) is on the way. More literary than plain 迹象; usually carries a sense of foreboding or destiny.

noun
omensign (that portends something)
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 征兆。
    Rén men bǎ rì shí kàn zuò bù xiáng de zhēng zhào.
    People see solar eclipses as bad omens.
  • 征兆。
    Zhè zhǒng niǎo de chū xiàn bèi rèn wéi shì yì zhǒng hǎo de zhēng zhào.
    The appearance of this bird is considered a good omen.
  • 征兆。
    Tā men yào xún zhǎo qì hòu biàn huà de zǎo qī zhēng zhào.
    They are looking for early signs of climate change.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

征zhēngsign
兆zhàoomen

征 and 兆 both point to a sign or portent, so together they mean an omen.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 徵; 征 is its simplified writing.

The simplified 征 stands for more than one traditional character. In most words (特征, 象征) it is 徵; in others it is 征.

The story is about the traditional form 徵. It originally meant punishment, from a picture of a knife with tooth-shaped protrusions on its back; later forms kept that sense.

Open 征 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The form 兆 shows two 人 (person) parts on either side of a 水 (water) part: two people fleeing with their backs to a flood.

Open 兆 →
Appears in
Abstract Concepts

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.