Chinese–EnglishWith examples

祖先

zǔ xiān · zu xian

Same in simplified and traditional Chinese

Meaning

CC-CEDICT

ancestors; forebears
(biology) ancestral species; ancient species from which present-day species evolved

2 examples

我(wǒ)们(men)每(měi)年(nián)清(qīng)明(míng)节(jié)都(dōu)会(huì)祭(jì)拜(bài)祖(zǔ)先(xiān)。

Every Qingming Festival, we pay respects to our ancestors.

科(kē)学(xué)家(jiā)研(yán)究(jiū)人(rén)类(lèi)祖(zǔ)先(xiān)的(de)化(huà)石(shí)。

Scientists study fossils of human ancestors.

Stroke order & practice

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Mainland China stroke order, including traditional characters. Drawing sources & licenses.

Definitions adapted from CC-CEDICT, published by MDBG and its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0. Pinyin display and entry grouping have been adapted.