回访 (huí fǎng) — to pay a return visit; to follow up (with a patient, customer, etc.)

Definition

回访 means to make a return or follow-up visit — going back to see someone who previously visited you, or checking in with a client, patient, or customer. It is a formal/professional word, more businesslike than the everyday 拜访.

verb
to pay a return visitto follow up (with a patient, customer, etc.)

Examples

  • 回访，。
    Yī shēng xià zhōu huì huí fǎng bìng rén, liǎo jiě huī fù qíng kuàng.
    The doctor will follow up with the patient next week to check on recovery.
  • 回访，。
    Gōng sī dìng qī huí fǎng lǎo kè hù, tīng qǔ tā men de yì jiàn.
    The company regularly visits old customers to hear their feedback.
  • ，回访。
    Shàng cì tā lái kàn wǒ, zhè cì gāi wǒ qù huí fǎng le.
    He came to see me last time, so this time I should return the visit.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

回huíreturn
访fǎngvisit

回访 combines 回 (return) and 访 (visit) to mean visiting again, as when following up with someone.

Characters in this word

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

回 comes from a drawing of a spiral, showing something turning around.

Open 回 →

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 訪; 访 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yántalk
Sound part声符shēngfú
方
方fāng訪fǎng
Same sound today

The traditional form 訪 pairs 言 (talk) with 方 to give the sound; the simplified 访 is a shorthand, so its right side is not the historical part.

Open 访 →

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