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发难 (fā nàn) — to rise in revolt; to rebel; to launch an attack (verbally); to challenge someone with difficult questions

Definition

发难 has two senses: physically 'to rise up in revolt' (a formal, historical verb) and verbally 'to challenge or attack someone with hard questions' at a meeting or debate. In the verbal sense it is sharper and more aggressive than merely 问 or 批评.

verb
to rise in revoltto rebelto launch an attack (verbally)to challenge someone with difficult questions

Examples

  • 发难。
    Lì shǐ shàng duō cì nóng mín qǐ yì dōu shì xiàng cháo tíng fā nàn.
    Many peasant uprisings in history were revolts against the imperial court.
  • 。
    Tā zài huì yì shàng xiàng wǒ fā le yí cì nán.
    He launched an attack on me at the meeting.
  • 发难，。
    Bú yào suí biàn xiàng bié rén fā nàn, yào jiǎng lǐ mào.
    Don't casually challenge others with difficult questions; be polite.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

发fāraise
难nántrouble

发 means raise or launch, 难 means trouble or revolt, so it means to raise a revolt.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 發; 发 is its simplified writing.

The simplified 发 stands for more than one traditional character. In most words (爆发, 出发) it is 發; in others (理发, 头发) it is 髮.

The form 發, which 发 stands for in many words, was originally drawn as a bow firing an arrow.

Open 发 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 難; 难 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
隹隹zhuībird
Sound part声符shēngfú
暵
暵hàn難nán
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional 難 pairs 隹, a bird, with 暵 for sound, and meant a type of bird. It was later borrowed for other meanings; the modern 难 is a shorthand.

Open 难 →
Appears in
Conflict & Agreement

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