祖先 zǔxiān ancestors
ancestors; forebears; (biology) ancestral species; ancient species from which present-day species evolved
How to remember 祖先: 祖 ancestor + 先 first = ancestors.
Characters
How it is used
- Ancestors / forebears (the collective) - 我们的祖先 (wǒmen de zǔxiān) our ancestors.
- The distant, collective forebears of a people; contrast 祖宗 (zǔzōng, one's own family ancestors, more colloquial). Also biological 'ancestral species'.
- History and heritage register.