祖 zǔ
- Strokes
- 9
- Radical
- 礻 — spirit
- Made of
- 礻 spirit 且 moreover, also (post-subject)
- How it's built
- Phono-semantic — one part hints at the meaning, another at the sound
祖宗
zǔzong
ancestors; forebears
Characters in this word
宗 zōng
- Strokes
- 8
- Radical
- 宀 — roof
- Made of
- 宀 roof 示 altar
- How it's built
- Ideograph — the meaning is built from its parts
Example phrases
- 他常说不能忘记祖宗留下的规矩，但也承认传统需要回应现实。 Tā cháng shuō bù néng wàngjì zǔzong liúxià de guīju, dàn yě chéngrèn chuántǒng xūyào huíyìng xiànshí. He often says one must not forget the rules left by the ancestors, but also admits that tradition must respond to reality.
- 清明节的时候，全家人一起去拜祭祖宗。 Qīngmíng jié de shíhou, quánjiā rén yìqǐ qù bàijì zǔzong. During the Qingming Festival the whole family goes together to pay respects to their ancestors.
- 这本家谱记录了祖宗迁移的历史，非常珍贵。 Zhè běn jiāpǔ jìlùle zǔzong qiānyí de lìshǐ, fēicháng zhēnguì. This family genealogy records the history of the ancestors' migrations and is extremely precious.
Related words
- 祖国 zǔguó motherland
- 祖先 zǔxiān ancestors
- 祖传 zǔchuán handed down from ancestors; hereditary
- 祖父 zǔfù paternal grandfather; grandfather
- 祖籍 zǔjí ancestral home; place of origin
- 祖母 zǔmǔ grandmother; paternal grandmother
- 大宗 dàzōng bulk; large-scale; major
- 正宗 zhèngzōng authentic; genuine; orthodox
- 宗 zōng measure word for cases, transactions, or incidents
- 宗教 zōngjiào religion
- 宗旨 zōngzhǐ purpose; aim; guiding principle
- 子弟 zǐdì sons and younger brothers; children of a particular group