‘预料’ is a compound word meaning 'to anticipate' or 'to expect' something before it happens. The first character 预 (yù) means 'in advance' or 'pre-', and the second character 料 (liào) means 'to estimate' or 'to foresee'. Together, they emphasize a mental projection of future events based on current information or experience. It is commonly used in formal or written contexts — such as news reports, essays, or thoughtful speech — to describe expectations that are reasoned rather than merely hoped for.

As a verb, ‘预料’ typically appears with subjects like people, governments, or analysts, followed by a clause introduced by ‘到’ (e.g., 预料到…). As a noun, it functions as ‘expectation’ or ‘anticipation’, often modified by adjectives like ‘出乎’ (unexpected) or ‘符合’ (in line with). Unlike casual words like ‘觉得’ (to feel) or ‘以为’ (to think), ‘预料’ carries a tone of rational judgment and often implies some degree of certainty or basis in evidence.