潜在 (qiánzài)

潜在 describes something that exists beneath the surface or has not yet fully manifested -- potential risk, hidden talent, or latent capacity that may emerge under the right conditions.

Meanings

[adj] potential; latent; hidden; underlying

Example Sentences

这个市场有着巨大的潜在商机，值得深入研究。 Zhège shìchǎng yǒuzhe jùdà de qiánzài shāngjī, zhídé shēnrù yánjiū. This market has enormous potential business opportunities worth in-depth research.

我们必须识别并降低项目中的潜在风险。 Wǒmen bìxū shíbié bìng jiàngdī xiàngmù zhōng de qiánzài fēngxiǎn. We must identify and reduce the potential risks in the project.

他身上有很多潜在的能力，还没有被充分发掘。 Tā shēnshàng yǒu hěn duō qiánzài de nénglì, hái méiyǒu bèi chōngfèn fājué. He has a lot of latent abilities that have not yet been fully discovered.

这种化学物质对人体有潜在的危害。 Zhè zhǒng huàxué wùzhì duì réntǐ yǒu qiánzài de wēihài. This chemical substance poses a potential hazard to the human body.

科技的发展揭示了人工智能在医疗领域的潜在价值。 Kējì de fāzhǎn jiēshìle rénggōng zhìnéng zài yīliáo lǐngyù de qiánzài jiàzhí. Technological development has revealed the potential value of artificial intelligence in the medical field.

这项研究旨在找出影响学生学习成绩的潜在因素。 Zhè xiàng yánjiū zhǐ zài zhǎochū yǐngxiǎng xuéshēng xuéxí chéngjì de qiánzài yīnsù. This study aims to identify the underlying factors that affect students' academic performance.

Collocations

Collocation	Meaning
潜在风险	potential risk
潜在价值	potential value
潜在危险	potential danger
潜在客户	potential customer
潜在能力	latent ability/potential
潜在影响	potential impact

Usage Notes

潜在 is an attributive adjective -- it always precedes a noun (e.g., 潜在风险 -- potential risk). It cannot stand alone as a predicate adjective. The character 潜 means "hidden/submerged" (related to 潜水 -- diving, submerging) and 在 means "existing/at," so 潜在 literally means "hidden/existing beneath the surface."

This word is used across business, science, medicine, and social analysis. It carries a neutral or slightly cautionary tone when used with risk-related nouns (潜在威胁, 潜在危险) and a positive tone when used with opportunity-related nouns (潜在价值, 潜在商机).

Memory Hook

潜 = submerged/hidden (like a diver 潜水 submerged under water), 在 = existing -- existing hidden below the surface -- latent/potential.