复核 (fù hé) — to review, to reexamine, to check again (especi…

Definition

verb

to reviewto reexamineto check again (especially a document or report before finalizing)

Easily confused

复核。
Zhè fèn bào gào xū yào fù hé hòu cái néng tí jiāo.
This report needs to be reviewed before it can be submitted.
复核。
Cái wù bù zhèng zài fù hé qù nián de zhàng mù.
The finance department is reexamining last year's accounts.
复核，。
Qǐng zǐ xì fù hé zhè fèn hé tong, què rèn wú wù.
Please carefully review this contract to confirm there are no errors.

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.

复 again and 核 check combine to mean checking once more.

Characters in this word

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 復; 复 is its simplified writing.

The simplified 复 stands for more than one traditional character. In most words (复习, 恢复) it is 復; in others (复印, 复杂) (答复, 反复) it is 複 or 覆.

彳复復

Meaning part形符xíngfú

彳彳chìwalk

Sound part声符shēngfú

复

Same sound today

The traditional form 復 combines 彳, a walking part, with 复, a sound part, to show walking back and forth.

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

木亥核

Meaning part形符xíngfú

木木mùtree

Sound part声符shēngfú

亥

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

核 pairs 木, a tree, with 亥 to give its sound; it originally named a kind of tree, and its later meanings are borrowed.