参 (cān) — to participate; to consult, to refer; to visit (as in 参观)
Definition
参 (cān) is a bound form used only in compounds like 参加, 参考, 参观 — it carries the meaning 'join / consult / visit' and never stands alone.
bound form
to participateto consultto referto visit (as in 参观)
Examples
- 。Wǒ cān jiā le zuó tiān de huì yì.I participated in yesterday's meeting.
- 。Qǐng cān kǎo zhè běn shū.Please consult this book.
- 。Wǒ men cān guān le bó wù guǎn.We visited the museum.
Origin
Compound ideograph六书liùshū
会意huìyìTwo or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.
This origin belongs to the traditional form 參; 参 is its simplified writing.
For simplified 参, the story belongs to traditional 參, which combines 晶 (stars), 光 (light), and 彡 (rays) to show the Three Stars; one reading takes 光 as a kneeling person looking up.
Appears in
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