Chinese word

先天

Pronunciation

Pinyinxiān tiān

Meaning

  • adjectivecongenital

Example

他有先天的心脏病。tā yǒu xiān tiān de xīn zàng bìng

He has congenital heart disease.

Illustration for 先天 (congenital)

More examples

她从小就有先天的视力问题。tā cóng xiǎo jiù yǒu xiān tiān de shì lì wèn tí

She has had a congenital vision problem since she was little.

Core concept

A built-in starting point that belongs to a person from birth rather than developing through experience.

Common phrases

  • 先天的心脏病xiān tiān de xīn zàng bìng

    congenital heart disease

  • 先天的免疫缺陷xiān tiān de miǎn yì quē xiàn

    congenital immune deficiency

  • 先天的优势xiān tiān de yōu shì

    innate advantage

Similar words

天生tiān shēng: Existing naturally from birth as a person's ability, trait, or tendency, in ordinary speech.
先天性xiān tiān xìng: Describing a trait or condition that exists from birth, especially in medical contexts.

Definition in Chinese

指人出生时已有的性格、才能或倾向，强调与后天（环境、教育等）相对的先天性特征。zhǐ rén chū shēng shí yí yǒu de xìng gé cái néng huò qīng xiàng qiáng diào yǔ hòu tiān huán jìng jiào yù děng xiāng duì de xiān tiān xìng tè zhēng

Word origin

The word joins 先 (xiān, "before") with 天 (tiān, "heaven") to place a quality on the birth side of the contrast with later development.

Usage tips

  • This word can describe both a bodily condition and a personal gift, so context shows whether the discussion is medical or about a person's abilities.

Other meanings

  • natural dispositionnoun

Opposites

Related words

  • 先天性xiān tiān xìngcongenitaladjective

Word lists with this word