verb HSK 5
Traditional 預防
to prevent · to guard against · prevention
Meaning
预防 means to take action in advance to stop something undesirable from happening. It emphasizes proactive measures taken before a problem occurs, commonly used in medical, safety, and risk management contexts.
Usage
Most frequently used with diseases, disasters, accidents, and other negative outcomes. Often appears in formal or semi-formal contexts like health campaigns, safety guidelines, and official announcements. Commonly paired with nouns like 疾病 (disease), 事故 (accident), or 犯罪 (crime).
Examples
- 01我们应该采取措施预防流感。.We should take measures to prevent the flu.
- 02定期锻炼可以预防很多疾病。.Regular exercise can prevent many diseases.
Characters
Common collocations
- 预防措施preventive measures
- 预防疾病to prevent disease
- 预防为主prevention first (policy)
- 预防接种preventive vaccination
Antonyms
Origin
Combines 预 (in advance) and 防 (to defend/prevent), literally meaning 'to defend in advance' or 'advance protection.'