() — (bound form) in advance, beforehand; pre-

Definition

A bound morpheme meaning 'in advance / pre-' (预测, 预防, 预订, 预报). It only attaches to a following word to form a compound — never used on its own.

bound form
in advancebeforehandpre-

Examples

  • Míng tiān tiān qì yù bào shuō huì xià yǔ.
    Tomorrow's weather forecast says it will rain.
  • Wǒ yǐ jīng yù dìng le jiǔ diàn fáng jiān.
    I have already reserved a hotel room.
  • Duō yùn dòng kě yǐ yù fáng jí bìng.
    Exercising more can prevent diseases.

Origin

Sound + meaning
六书liùshū
形声xíngshēng

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 預; 预 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
Sound part声符shēngfú
Same sound today

The traditional form 預 combines 予 for the sound and 頁 for the meaning; the simplified 预 is a later shorthand.

Appears in

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