---
title: "Zuxian Meaning: 祖先 (zǔxiān) Means “ancestor”"
description: "祖先 (zǔxiān) means “ancestor; forebears”. Hear its tones, see what 祖 and 先 each mean and a real sentence that uses it."
canonical: "https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/zuxian"
published: "2026-10-21"
updated: "2026-11-06"
author: "Mandarin The Wild"
---

[What does it mean in Chinese?](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning)

# What does 祖先 mean?

猫头鹰māotóuyīngowl

祖先 zǔxiān

## ancestor; forebears

## Its characters

1. 祖 zǔ grandfather
2. 先 xiān first

## In a sentence

我们的祖先很早就开始种水稻了。 Our ancestors started growing rice a long time ago.

两千多年前，楚国有一家人拜完**祖先**，把一大杯酒送给了家里帮忙的几个人。

From [画蛇添足 · Drawing legs on a snake](https://mandarinthewild.com/library/read/hua-she-tian-zu-drawing-legs-on-a-snake#library-word-14-16)

[More about 祖先](https://mandarinthewild.com/words/%E7%A5%96%E5%85%88)

## More words with 祖 or 先

- [领先 lǐngxiān](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/lingxian)
- [首先 shǒuxiān](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/shouxian)
- [率先 shuàixiān](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/shuaixian)
- [先锋 xiānfēng](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/xianfeng)
- [先后 xiānhòu](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/xianhou)
- [先进 xiānjìn](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/xianjin)
- [先前 xiānqián](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/xianqian)
- [先生 xiānsheng](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/xiansheng)
- [先天 xiāntiān](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/xiantian)
- [原先 yuánxiān](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/yuanxian)

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