Chinese word

预防

Pronunciation

Pinyinyù fáng

Meaning

  • verbprevent

Example

我们要预防感冒。wǒ men yào yù fáng gǎn mào

We need to prevent colds.

Illustration for 预防 (prevent)

More examples

医生建议大家预防流感。yī shēng jiàn yì dà jiā yù fáng liú gǎn

The doctor advised everyone to prevent the flu.

Core concept

Early action that closes the path from a possible threat to a bad result.

Common phrases

  • 预防感冒yù fáng gǎn mào

    prevent colds

  • 预防疾病yù fáng jí bìng

    prevent disease

  • 预防传染病yù fáng chuán rǎn bìng

    prevent infectious diseases

Similar words

防止fáng zhǐ: Take steps to keep an unwanted event or accident from happening.
阻止zú zhǐ: Stop something that has started or is about to happen from being carried out.
避免bì miǎn: Avoid a situation or action so that a bad result does not occur.
防范fáng fàn: Take advance precautions against danger or crime to prevent harm.

Definition in Chinese

通过事前准备或阻止手段使危险或不良后果不发生。tōng guò shì qián zhǔn bèi huò zú zhǐ shǒu duàn shǐ wēi xiǎn huò bù liáng hòu guǒ bù fā shēng

Word origin

预 (yù, "beforehand") sets the timing and 防 (fáng, "guard against") supplies the protective action, so the compound means stopping a bad result in advance.

Usage tips

  • English speakers often meet prevention as a noun, but 预防 (yùfáng, "prevent") functions as a verb in Chinese, so it can name an action taken before trouble starts.

Other meanings

  • preventionnoun

Opposites

Related words

  • 预防措施yù fáng cuò shīpreventive measuresnoun
  • 预防针yù fáng zhēnpreventive shotnoun

Word lists with this word