Show pageOld revisionsBacklinksBack to top This page is read only. You can view the source, but not change it. Ask your administrator if you think this is wrong. ====== chóubèi: 筹备 - To Prepare, To Make Arrangements For, To Organize ====== ===== Quick Summary ===== * **Keywords:** 筹备, chóubèi, choubei, prepare for an event, plan and prepare Chinese, arrange a meeting, organize an event in Chinese, preparations for a conference, set up a company, wedding planning in Chinese. * **Summary:** Learn the essential Chinese verb **筹备 (chóubèi)**, which means to plan, organize, and make detailed preparations for a significant, formal event. Unlike the general word for "prepare" (`准备`), `筹备` implies a complex, often collective, effort for undertakings like a conference, wedding, or new business launch. This guide will break down its meaning, cultural context, and practical usage with clear examples. ===== Core Meaning ===== * **Pinyin (with tone marks):** chóubèi * **Part of Speech:** Verb * **HSK Level:** HSK 5 * **Concise Definition:** To make comprehensive preparations and arrangements for a large-scale or formal event. * **In a Nutshell:** Think of **筹备 (chóubèi)** as "event planning" or "organizing" on a significant scale. It's not just about getting yourself ready; it's about marshalling resources, coordinating people, and meticulously planning all the logistics for a major undertaking. It carries a sense of formality and importance that the everyday word for "prepare," `准备 (zhǔnbèi)`, lacks. ===== Character Breakdown ===== * **筹 (chóu):** The original meaning of this character is a "tally stick" or "counter," typically made of bamboo (hence the 竹 radical at the top). These were used in ancient China for counting and calculation. By extension, it came to mean "to plan," "to devise," or "to raise/collect," as one would plan and gather resources. * **备 (bèi):** This character straightforwardly means "to prepare," "to get ready," or "to be equipped." * When combined, **筹备 (chóubèi)** literally means "to plan and prepare." The joining of `筹` (planning, gathering) and `备` (getting ready) creates a powerful, formal term that emphasizes a thorough, well-organized preparatory process from initial conception to final execution. ===== Cultural Context and Significance ===== * In Chinese culture, successfully hosting a major event is a significant reflection of the organizer's competence, resources, and social standing—it's a matter of **[[面子]] (miànzi)**, or "face." Therefore, the preparatory stage, or `筹备`, is taken very seriously. A smoothly run conference or a lavish wedding demonstrates the host's capabilities and respect for their guests. * **Comparison to Western Concepts:** While an English speaker might say, "We're organizing the conference" or "We're in the planning stages," **筹备 (chóubèi)** has a slightly more "hands-on" and "all-encompassing" feel. It implies not just making a schedule (`安排`) or a plan (`计划`), but also actively fundraising (`筹款`), gathering materials, and setting up the physical infrastructure. It’s the entire project management of the event's creation. The term suggests a formal committee or team (`筹备委员会`) is likely involved. ===== Practical Usage in Modern China ===== * **Formal and Large-Scale:** `筹备` is almost exclusively used for significant, complex, and formal undertakings. * **Business Context:** This is a very common term in the business world. You `筹备` the opening of a new company, the launch of a new product, an annual shareholder meeting, or a major trade exhibition. * **Official Events:** Governments and organizations `筹备` for national holidays, international summits, sports games (like the Olympics), and official ceremonies. * **Major Personal Events:** While you wouldn't `筹备` dinner, you would definitely `筹备` a large, traditional wedding banquet, a 50th wedding anniversary, or a major family reunion. It implies a level of logistical complexity beyond a simple party. ===== Example Sentences ===== * **Example 1:** * 我们正在**筹备**下个月的国际会议。 * Pinyin: Wǒmen zhèngzài **chóubèi** xià ge yuè de guójì huìyì. * English: We are currently preparing for next month's international conference. * Analysis: This is a classic, formal use of `筹备`. A conference is a large-scale event that requires extensive planning and organization. * **Example 2:** * 这家新公司的**筹备**工作进行得很顺利。 * Pinyin: Zhè jiā xīn gōngsī de **chóubèi** gōngzuò jìnxíng de hěn shùnlì. * English: The preparatory work for this new company is going very smoothly. * Analysis: Here, `筹备` is used as part of a noun phrase, `筹备工作` (preparatory work), which is a very common collocation. * **Example 3:** * 他们花了整整一年的时间来**筹备**这场婚礼。 * Pinyin: Tāmen huāle zhěngzhěng yī nián de shíjiān lái **chóubèi** zhè chǎng hūnlǐ. * English: They spent a full year preparing for this wedding. * Analysis: This highlights the extensive effort and time that `筹备` implies, suitable for a significant life event like a wedding. * **Example 4:** * 艺术展目前还处于**筹备**阶段。 * Pinyin: Yìshùzhǎn mùqián hái chǔyú **chóubèi** jiēduàn. * English: The art exhibition is still in the preparatory stage at present. * Analysis: The phrase `筹备阶段` (preparatory stage) is a fixed and useful expression for business and project management. * **Example 5:** * 为了**筹备**这次活动，我们成立了一个专门的委员会。 * Pinyin: Wèile **chóubèi** zhè cì huódòng, wǒmen chénglìle yí ge zhuānmén de wěiyuánhuì. * English: In order to prepare for this event, we established a special committee. * Analysis: This sentence shows the collective and organized nature of `筹备`, often involving a formal group or committee (`委员会`). * **Example 6:** * 奥运会的**筹备**工作复杂而艰巨。 * Pinyin: Àoyùnhuì de **chóubèi** gōngzuò fùzá ér jiānjù. * English: The preparatory work for the Olympic Games is complex and arduous. * Analysis: This emphasizes the scale and difficulty appropriate for the verb `筹备`. * **Example 7:** * 你们的开业典礼**筹备**得怎么样了？ * Pinyin: Nǐmen de kāiyè diǎnlǐ **chóubèi** de zěnmeyàng le? * English: How are the preparations for your opening ceremony coming along? * Analysis: A practical question used to inquire about the progress of the arrangements for a formal event. * **Example 8:** * 他被任命为**筹备**组的负责人。 * Pinyin: Tā bèi rènmìng wèi **chóubèi** zǔ de fùzérén. * English: He was appointed as the head of the preparatory team. * Analysis: `筹备组` (preparatory team/group) is another common collocation, reinforcing its use in organized, group efforts. * **Example 9:** * 前期的**筹备**资金是从哪里来的？ * Pinyin: Qiánqī de **chóubèi** zījīn shì cóng nǎlǐ lái de? * English: Where did the initial preparation funds come from? * Analysis: This example connects `筹备` to the concept of gathering resources, specifically capital (`资金`). * **Example 10:** * 经过几个月的精心**筹备**，新书发布会终于要举行了。 * Pinyin: Jīngguò jǐ ge yuè de jīngxīn **chóubèi**, xīn shū fābùhuì zhōngyú yào jǔxíng le. * English: After several months of meticulous preparation, the new book launch event is finally going to be held. * Analysis: `精心筹备` (jīngxīn chóubèi) means "meticulous preparation" and is a great phrase to describe the thoroughness implied by the term. ===== Nuances and Common Mistakes ===== * **`筹备 (chóubèi)` vs. `准备 (zhǔnbèi)`:** This is the most crucial distinction for learners. * **[[准备]] (zhǔnbèi):** General-purpose "to prepare." Use it for almost anything: preparing for an exam (`准备考试`), preparing dinner (`准备晚饭`), getting ready to go out (`准备出门`). It can be done by an individual for a small-scale task. * **`筹备 (chóubèi)`:** Specific to preparing for large, formal, complex events that require coordination and organization, usually by a group. * **Common Mistake Example:** * **Incorrect:** 我正在**筹备**明天的考试。 (Wǒ zhèngzài **chóubèi** míngtiān de kǎoshì.) * **Why it's wrong:** An exam is a personal, relatively small-scale preparation. The scale and formality of `筹备` are far too high for this context. * **Correct:** 我正在**准备**明天的考试。 (Wǒ zhèngzài **zhǔnbèi** míngtiān de kǎoshì.) ===== Related Terms and Concepts ===== * **[[准备]] (zhǔnbèi):** The general, all-purpose verb for "to prepare." `筹备` is a specific, formal type of `准备`. * **[[安排]] (ānpái):** To arrange or schedule. Making arrangements is a core component of the `筹备` process. * **[[组织]] (zǔzhī):** To organize (people, an event). `筹备` involves a great deal of `组织`. * **[[计划]] (jìhuà):** A plan; to plan. The `计划` is the document or idea that guides the `筹备` work. * **[[策划]] (cèhuà):** To mastermind, to plot, to plan creatively (e.g., a marketing campaign, an event theme). This is often the creative side of `筹备`. * **[[举办]] (jǔbàn):** To hold or conduct (an event). You `筹备` an event so that you can later `举办` it. * **[[筹款]] (chóukuǎn):** To raise funds. A very specific type of `筹备` activity, sharing the character `筹`. * **[[筹集]] (chóují):** To raise or collect (funds, resources, materials). A broader term than `筹款` that is central to the meaning of `筹备`.