预 (yù) - Meaning, Stroke Order & Audio

预

yù[yu4]Tone 4

to advance, in advance, beforehand, to prepare

HSK 3

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預

Guru Deep Dive

English · to advance, in advance, beforehand, to prepare

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Topology:Left-right

Strokes:13

Writing Balance Rule: The left side (矛) is taller and slightly narrower, while the right side (页) balances it with a wider base and sweeping bottom strokes.

Simplification Logic: Simplified from 預 to 预 by replacing the complex traditional phonetic/semantic right side with the simplified page radical 页.

1. Meaning

in advance, beforehand

to prepareto take part in

verb / adverbNeutralBound morpheme#time#preparation#action

Sample Usage

预祝演出成功。
Yù zhù yǎnchū chénggōng.
Wishing the performance success in advance.
请提前预约。
Qǐng tíqián yùyuē.
Please make an appointment in advance.

2. Sound

/[y³⁵]/Tone: 35

预

yùyu4

`(51)

=yù

Initial Consonant

Type: Palatal Glide (Zero Initial)

Sounds like: zero-initial with a front rounded glide

Unaspirated

Airflow Tactile Test: Acts as a bridge into 'i' or 'ü' vowel sounds.

Tongue & Mouth Position: Tongue tip rests behind lower front teeth, front of tongue raised toward hard palate.

Final Rhyme

Vowel Group: -v vowel group

Sounds like: yu sound like French 'u' or German 'ü'

Note: Written as 'u', pronounced as rounded 'ü' [y].

Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'ü'.

Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.

Tone

T4 (51)

5 → 1 (51)

4th Tone (High-Falling)

Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 4 starts high and drops abruptly like an authoritative command ('Stop!').

👂

Listening trap: Confusing the rounded yü sound with the plain flat u sound (ū/ú/ǔ/ù). Remember that ü requires rounded lips as if whistling while trying to say 'ee'.

👋

Physical Tone Gesture: A rising hand gesture moving from low left to high right, just like asking 'Huh?' in surprise.

3. Writing

Topology: Left-right · Strokes: 13 strokes

Writing Balance Rule: The left side (矛) is taller and slightly narrower, while the right side (页) balances it with a wider base and sweeping bottom strokes.

Simplification Logic: Simplified from 預 to 预 by replacing the complex traditional phonetic/semantic right side with the simplified page radical 页.

4. Components

Radical 页 · Page / Leaf Radical (head, page, leaf)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 页 (denotes head or mental foresight)

Phonetic Clue (声旁): 矛 (original sound: máo / yù phonetic nexus)

A spear (矛) held ready facing a page or person's head (页) means being completely prepared and alert in advance.

矛 spear / weapon ready in hand
页 head or leaf

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

9· Phonetic Root: 予 (yú)

5. History

Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: Originally derived from components indicating foresight and preparation, combining the idea of weaponry ready for action with mental readiness.

Semantic Evolution: Shifted from physical readiness and warfare preparation to general temporal meanings such as 'beforehand', 'in advance', and 'to reserve'.

The character originally had broader meanings related to jaw or head before splitting into distinct graphs.

6. Sinosphere

🇯🇵

Kanji (Japanese)

On: ヨ / Kun: あらかじめ

🇰🇷

Hanja (Korean)

예

7. Memory

Vivid Mnemonic Story

To prepare in ADVANCE (yù), you raise your spear (矛) above your head (页) before the battle even starts.

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

预

yùin advancebase character with spear and head

矛

máospearstandalone weapon component

Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)

预(yù)

Do not confuse with 奶 (nǎi, milk), which replaces the spear with a female woman radical 女.

8. Mastery

Active Recall Challenge

我们已经[___]订好了去北京的高铁票。

Clue: yù

Common Learner Pitfall

Writing the left component 矛 incorrectly by omitting the hook or misplacing the diagonal slashing stroke.

Memory Prompts

Recognition: When you see 预, what temporal concept does it instantly trigger in compound words?

Production: How do you write the character meaning 'in advance' using the spear and head components?

预yùto advance, in advance, beforehand, to prepare

Speed:

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