How to say “ancestors” in Chinese
ancestors, forefathers
“Ancestors” in Chinese is 祖先, zǔ xiān: the meaning, a recording of how it sounds, the characters stroke by stroke and examples.
How to pronounce it
祖先 is read zǔ xiān: 2 syllables. The tone is part of the word: with another melody you get another word, or just a jumble of sounds.
How to write it
On the left, 礻 “altar”: ancestors were worshipped. On the right, 且, as in 组 zǔ and 租 zū.
先生 means “born earlier”: a respectful way to address an elder.
Strokes go in order: top to bottom and left to right, horizontal before vertical. Tap a character to open its page, with the strokes shown large and the words it appears in. To train your hand, print a handwriting sheet for “祖先”.
Examples
Sentences from the course lessons with 祖先. Tap the sound icon to listen.
- 这是祖先留给后人的遗产。zhèshìzǔxiānliúgěihòuréndeyíchǎnThis is the heritage our ancestors left to future generations.
More words from the lesson “Origins: where it all began”
Look up another word in the Chinese–English dictionary: in English, in pinyin or in characters.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say “ancestors” in Chinese?
“Ancestors” in Chinese is 祖先, pinyin zǔxiān.
What does 祖先 mean?
祖先 (zǔxiān) means “ancestors, forefathers”.
How do you write 祖先?
祖先 is 2 characters: 祖 (zǔ) — ancestor; 先 (xiān) — first, before. The stroke order of each one is shown step by step on this page.
How do you pronounce 祖先?
祖先 is read zǔxiān. Tones: zǔ — third tone, xiān — first tone. The page has a native speaker recording.
“ancestors” in the lesson “Origins: where it all began”
This word is from the topic “China’s history and traditions” of HSK 6. In the lesson you hear it in a dialogue, build a sentence with it and say it out loud. Start for free, no sign-up needed.
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