Definition
祖 is a bound form (b.f.) — it never appears alone in modern Chinese but combines with other characters to form words about ancestry, origins, and family lineage. Common compounds include 祖先 (ancestors), 祖父 (grandfather), 祖國 (motherland), 祖宗 (ancestors / forbears), 祖籍 (ancestral hometown), and 祖師 (founder of a school or craft). It can also be a surname.
b.f.
(bound form) ancestorforefather(bound form) grandfather(bound form) founderoriginator
Examples
- 。Wǒmen de zǔ xiān shì cóng běifāng bān lái de.Our ancestors moved here from the north.
- 。Wǒ zǔ fù niánqīng shí dāng guò lǎoshī.My grandfather worked as a teacher when he was young.
- 。Wǒmen rè'ài zìjǐ de zǔ guó.We love our motherland.
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