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verb / adjective HSK 4
Traditional 預備
yù bèi
to prepare · to get ready · preparatory · preliminary

Meaning

预备 means to prepare or get ready for something in advance. It emphasizes the act of making arrangements or preparations before an event, action, or situation occurs. It can function as a verb meaning 'to prepare' or as an adjective meaning 'preparatory' or 'preliminary'.

Usage

预备 is commonly used in formal and semi-formal contexts, including educational settings (预备班 'preparatory class'), sports (预备,跑! 'on your mark, get set, go!'), and military contexts. It's slightly more formal than 准备 (zhǔn bèi), though the two are often interchangeable. In commands or instructions, 预备 appears frequently as the 'get ready' signal.

Examples

  1. 01
    运动员们正在做赛前预备活动。
    Yùn dòng yuán men zhèng zài zuò sài qián yù bèi huó dòng.
    The athletes are doing pre-competition warm-up exercises.
  2. 02
    他上的是高中预备班。
    Tā shàng de shì gāo zhōng yù bèi bān.
    He's attending a high school preparatory class.

Characters

Common collocations

  • 预备班
    yù bèi bān
    preparatory class
  • 预备队
    yù bèi duì
    reserve team
  • 预备役
    yù bèi yì
    reserve service (military)
  • 预备,跑!
    yù bèi, pǎo!
    on your mark, get set, go!

Origin

预 originally meant 'beforehand' or 'in advance', while 备 meant 'to prepare' or 'to be equipped'. Together they emphasize advance preparation.

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