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祖先 (zǔ xiān) — ancestors, forebears (one's forefathers); (biology) ancestral species; ancient species from which a present-day species evolved

Definition

General term for ancestors, used for family lineage or for biological species from which others evolved. 祖宗 is a close near-synonym, but often carries a more reverent, traditional tone.

noun
ancestorsforebears (one's forefathers)(biology) ancestral speciesancient species from which a present-day species evolved

Examples

  • ，祖先。
    Qīng míng jié hěn duō rén qù sǎo mù, jì niàn tā men de zǔ xiān.
    During Qingming Festival many people go to sweep tombs to honor their ancestors.
  • 祖先。
    Kē xué jiā rèn wéi niǎo lèi shì yóu kǒng lóng de zǔ xiān yǎn huà ér lái de.
    Scientists believe birds evolved from the ancestors of dinosaurs.
  • 祖先。
    Wǒ men jiā zú bǎo cún le yì běn jì lù zǔ xiān de shū.
    Our family keeps a book that records our ancestors.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

祖zǔancestor
先xiānforefather

祖 “ancestor” and 先 “forefather” together mean earlier forebears.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
示示shì
Sound part声符shēngfú
且
且qiě祖zǔ
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.

Open 祖 →

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

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

Open 先 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 6HSK 2.0 Level 5Family & KinshipHistory

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