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张望 (zhāng wàng) — to look around (in search of something or someone); to peep through a crack or from a hiding place

Definition

张望 means looking around with purpose — searching for someone or something, or peeping out from cover. It is more active and searching than a casual 看, and implies a deliberate scan of the surroundings.

verb
to look around (in search of something or someone)to peep through a crack or from a hiding place

Examples

  • 张望，。
    Tā zhàn zài mén kǒu sì chù zhāng wàng, hǎo xiàng zài děng rén.
    He stood at the door looking around, as if waiting for someone.
  • 张望，。
    Hái zi cóng mén fèng lǐ zhāng wàng, xiǎng kàn kàn wū lǐ yǒu shén me.
    The child peeped through the crack in the door to see what was inside the room.
  • 张望，。
    Tā zài rén qún zhōng bú duàn zhāng wàng, xún zhǎo shú xi de miàn kǒng.
    She kept looking around in the crowd, searching for a familiar face.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

张zhānglook
望wànglook

Both 张 and 望 convey looking, together giving the sense of peering around.

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 張; 张 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
弓弓gōngbow
Sound part声符shēngfú
長
長cháng張zhāng
Same sound today

The traditional form 張 combines 弓, a bow, with 長, which points to the sound; the simplified 张 is a shorthand and its parts are not the historical components.

Open 张 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

  • 臣臣chéneye
  • 𡈼𡈼𡈼person standing on the ground

望 originally showed 臣 (eye) beside 𡈼 (person standing on the ground): a person standing up and looking off into the distance. Later 月 was added, and the 臣 part became 亡.

Open 望 →
Appears in
Senses

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