预防 meaning in English

yùfáng

to prevent; to take precautions against

HSK 3verbTraditional 預防16 strokes

Meaning of 预防

Definitions from CC-CEDICT.

yùfáng

to prevent
to take precautions against
to protect
to guard against
precautionary
prophylactic

How to use 预防

预防 is used for stopping problems like illness, accidents, or crime before they start. It often takes a direct object or appears in set phrases like 预防措施 (yùfáng cuòshī, preventive measures). Example: 多洗手可以预防感冒。(Duō xǐ shǒu kěyǐ yùfáng gǎnmào.) Washing your hands often can prevent colds.

预 (yù) means "in advance," as in 预习 (yùxí) and 预订 (yùdìng), and 防 (fáng) means "to guard against." Put them together: 预防 is guarding against something before it happens.

Common mistake: Learners often swap 预防 and 防止 (fángzhǐ). 预防 stresses acting early against a possible risk, such as 预防疾病. 防止 stresses stopping a bad result from happening or spreading, such as 防止事故再次发生.

预防 in example sentences

Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.

预yù防fáng胜shèng于yú治zhì疗liáo。

Prevention is better than cure.

预yù防fáng战zhàn争zhēng的de最zuì佳jiā方fāng法fǎ，就jiù是shì勇yǒng敢gǎn地dì去qù面miàn对duì它tā。

The surest way to prevent war is not to fear it.

避bì孕yùn套tào可kě以yǐ预yù防fáng性xìng传chuán播bō疾jí病bìng。

Condoms offer protection against STDs.

我wǒ们men采cǎi取qǔ了le强qiáng有yǒu力lì的de预yù防fáng措cuò施shī。

We took strong measures to prevent it.

预yù防fáng措cuò施shī比bǐ真zhēn正zhèng的de治zhì疗liáo更gèng有yǒu效xiào。

Preventive measures are much more effective than the actual treatment.

Stroke order for each character

Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.

预 yù · to prepare · 10 strokes

防 fáng · to protect · 6 strokes

Related words

Words that share a character with 预防.

防止	fángzhǐ	to prevent; to guard against
预计	yùjì	to forecast; to predict
预报	yùbào	forecast
预习	yùxí	to prepare a lesson
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
干预	gānyù	to meddle; to intervene
消防	xiāofáng	firefighting; fire control
防治	fángzhì	to prevent and cure; prevention and cure
预约	yùyuē	booking; reservation

Questions about 预防

What does 预防 mean?

预防 (yùfáng) means "to prevent; to take precautions against" and is used as a verb.

How do you write 预防?

预防 is made of 2 characters: 预 (10 strokes), 防 (6 strokes). That is 16 strokes in total.

Is 预防 an HSK word?

Yes. 预防 is on the HSK 3 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.

How is 预防 written in traditional Chinese?

In traditional characters, 预防 is written 預防.

Can 预防 be used as an adjective or noun?

Yes. It can describe things, as in 预防针 (yùfángzhēn, a vaccine shot) or 预防措施 (preventive measures). It can also act like a noun: 预防比治疗更重要。Prevention is more important than treatment.

How do you say "to get vaccinated" using 预防?

A common everyday phrase is 打预防针 (dǎ yùfángzhēn), literally "to get a preventive shot." It can also be used figuratively to mean warning someone in advance so they are prepared.