准

• Pinyin: zhǔn
• Hanzi breakdown: 准 = 氵(water) + 隹 (short-tailed bird), originally meaning a water level tool, hence 'standard' and 'accurate'

Meaning

Accurate; precise; allowed. Describes something being on target or correct, or indicates permission.

As an adjective, means 'accurate' or 'precise' — used for clocks, predictions, aim, etc. Can also mean 'certainly' or 'definitely' in colloquial speech. In formal contexts, 准 can mean 'to allow' or 'to approve.' Commonly appears in compounds like 准确 (accurate) and 准备 (prepare).

Examples

1. 你的手表准不准？ Is your watch accurate?
2. 他投篮投得特别准。 He shoots baskets extremely accurately.
3. 天气预报今天说得很准。 The weather forecast was very accurate today.

Usage Guide

Context: everyday, sports, evaluation

Tone: casual

Do Say

• 你猜得真准！(You guessed really accurately!)
• 这个钟很准。(This clock is very accurate.)

Don't Say

• 他是一个准人。(Don't use 准 directly before a noun as a character description — say 他做事很准 for 'he does things accurately')

Origin & History

氵(water) + 隹 (short-tailed bird). The original meaning was 'water level,' which evolved to mean 'standard' and then 'accurate.'

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal