Meaning of 预备
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- to prepare
- to make ready
- preparation
- preparatory
How to use 预备
预备 is used as a verb meaning to get ready, and also before nouns to mean "preparatory," as in 预备会议 (yùbèi huìyì) preparatory meeting. It is famous from the race start command 预备，开始 (yùbèi, kāishǐ) "Ready, go." Example: 我们预备明天出发。(Wǒmen yùbèi míngtiān chūfā.) We are getting ready to set off tomorrow.
预 (yù) means "in advance," as in 预报 (yùbào) forecast, and 备 (bèi) means "to get ready," as in 设备 (shèbèi) equipment. Put them together and you get "get ready in advance": to prepare.
Common mistake: Learners often use 预备 everywhere they would use 准备 (zhǔnbèi). 准备 is far more common in daily speech, while 预备 sounds a bit more formal or set, so 我准备好了 (wǒ zhǔnbèi hǎo le) "I'm ready" is the natural choice. Also keep 预 in the fourth tone (yù), not yú.
预备 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
预 yù · to prepare · 10 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
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- 9
- 10
备 bèi · to prepare · 8 strokes
- 1
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- 8
Related words
Words that share a character with 预备.
| 准备 | zhǔnbèi | preparation; to prepare |
| 设备 | shèbèi | equipment; facilities; installations |
| 预计 | yùjì | to forecast; to predict |
| 预防 | yùfáng | to prevent; to take precautions against |
| 预报 | yùbào | forecast |
| 预习 | yùxí | to prepare a lesson |
| 预测 | yùcè | to forecast; to predict |
| 具备 | jùbèi | to possess; to have |
| 预订 | yùdìng | to place an order; to book ahead |
| 预期 | yùqī | to expect; to anticipate |
| 干预 | gānyù | to meddle; to intervene |
| 配备 | pèibèi | to allocate; to provide |
Questions about 预备
What does 预备 mean?
预备 (yùbèi) means "to prepare; to make ready" and is used as a verb.
How do you write 预备?
预备 is made of 2 characters: 预 (10 strokes), 备 (8 strokes). That is 18 strokes in total.
Is 预备 an HSK word?
Yes. 预备 is on the HSK 5 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 预备 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 预备 is written 預備.
What is the difference between 预备 and 准备?
Both mean to prepare, and they often overlap. 准备 is the everyday word and can also mean "to plan to" do something. 预备 is less common and shows up in fixed uses like 预备 as a start command or 预备班 (yùbèi bān) preparatory class.
How is 预备 different from 预习?
预备 is general preparation for anything. 预习 (yùxí) specifically means studying a lesson before class, so a student 预习 the next chapter but 预备 for a trip.