祖孙 (zǔ sūn) — (relationship) between grandparents and grandchildren; (literary) ancestors and descendants

Definition

Refers to the grandparent–grandchild relationship as a pair or unit. More literary and generational than 父母 (parents); the first sense highlights the family bond, the second widens to ancestors and descendants over generations.

noun
(relationship) between grandparents and grandchildren(literary) ancestors and descendants

Examples

  • 祖孙。
    zǔ sūn Zhī jiān de gǎn qíng wǎng wǎng fēi cháng shēn hòu.
    The bond between grandparents and grandchildren is often very deep.
  • ，祖孙，。
    Měi féng chūn jié, jiā lǐ zǒng shì zǔ sūn tuán jù, sān dài rén huān jù yì táng.
    Every Spring Festival, the grandparents and grandchildren gather at home, three generations joyfully reuniting.
  • 祖孙。
    Zhè bù jiā pǔ jì zǎi le shù bǎi nián zǔ sūn de chuán chéng.
    This genealogy records the lineage of ancestors and descendants over several hundred years.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

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

祖zǔgrandparent/ancestor
孙sūngrandchild/descendant

“祖” names the elder generation and “孙” the younger one, so together they refer to the relationship between them.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 孫; 孙 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 孫 pairs 子 (son) with 系 (continue), showing a line of descendants continuing. The simplified 孙 is a later shorthand, not the historical shape.

Open 孙 →

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