Chinese Conversation · Level 62
90 words
Chinese word
祖先
Pronunciation
Pinyinzǔ xiān
Meaning
- nounancestor
Example
你的祖先来自哪里？nǐ de zǔ xiān lái zì ná lǐ
Where did your ancestors come from?
More examples
每年清明节，人们会去扫墓祭拜祖先。měi nián qīng míng jié rén men huì qù sǎo mù jì bài zǔ xiān
Every year during the Qingming Festival, people go to clean graves and worship their ancestors.
Core concept
The family line viewed backward toward the people from whom later generations descend.
Common phrases
祭拜祖先jì bài zǔ xiān
worship ancestors
纪念祖先jì niàn zǔ xiān
commemorate ancestors
尊敬祖先zūn jìng zǔ xiān
respect ancestors
Similar words
先祖xiān zǔ: Family members from generations before one's own.
先人xiān rén: People of earlier times who helped shape later people's lives or thinking.
祖父母zǔ fù mǔ: A person's father's and mother's parents.
Definition in Chinese
指家族中早于自己、属于前几代的血缘或族群成员。zhǐ jiā zú zhōng zǎo yú zì jǐ shǔ yú qián jǐ dài de xuè yuán huò zú qún chéng yuán
Word origin
祖 (zǔ, "ancestor") identifies an earlier family generation, and 先 (xiān, "before") adds the idea of coming earlier in time.
Usage tips
- This word is useful when discussing family background or roots, whereas ordinary conversation usually names close relatives directly rather than using a broad ancestral term.