Meaning of 预约
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- booking
- reservation
- to book
- to make an appointment
How to use 预约
预约 is used for appointments and reservations with doctors, restaurants, banks, museums and government offices. It works as a verb and also as a noun. Example: 我想预约明天上午看医生。(Wǒ xiǎng yùyuē míngtiān shàngwǔ kàn yīshēng.) I would like to make an appointment to see a doctor tomorrow morning.
预 (yù) means in advance, as in 预报 (yùbào) forecast, and 约 (yuē) means to arrange or agree on a meeting. Put them together: you arrange something ahead of time, so you make a booking.
Common mistake: Learners often use 预约 for hotel rooms and plane tickets, where 预订 (yùdìng) is more natural. 预约 suits time slots and services, while 预订 is for reserving rooms, seats or goods. Also keep 约 (yuē, first tone) apart from 约 in 大约 (dàyuē). The sound is the same, but there it means approximately.
预约 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
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
约 yuē · to make an appointment · 6 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
Related words
Words that share a character with 预约.
| 大约 | dàyuē | approximately; probably |
| 预计 | yùjì | to forecast; to predict |
| 预防 | yùfáng | to prevent; to take precautions against |
| 节约 | jiéyuē | to economize; to conserve (resources) |
| 预报 | yùbào | forecast |
| 预习 | yùxí | to prepare a lesson |
| 约会 | yuēhuì | appointment; engagement |
| 预测 | yùcè | to forecast; to predict |
| 预订 | yùdìng | to place an order; to book ahead |
| 预备 | yùbèi | to prepare; to make ready |
| 预期 | yùqī | to expect; to anticipate |
| 签约 | qiānyuē | to sign a contract or agreement |
Questions about 预约
What does 预约 mean?
预约 (yùyuē) means "booking; reservation" and is used as a verb.
How do you write 预约?
预约 is made of 2 characters: 预 (10 strokes), 约 (6 strokes). That is 16 strokes in total.
Is 预约 an HSK word?
Yes. 预约 is on the HSK 6 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 预约 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 预约 is written 預約.
How do I say I have an appointment using 预约?
You can say 我有预约 (wǒ yǒu yùyuē), I have an appointment or reservation. At a front desk, staff may ask 您有预约吗？(nín yǒu yùyuē ma?), Do you have an appointment?
What is the difference between 预约 and 约?
约 alone often means to ask someone out or arrange to meet a friend, as in 我约了朋友吃饭 (wǒ yuē le péngyou chīfàn), I made plans to eat with a friend. 预约 is more formal and usually means booking a slot with a business or institution.