探监 (tàn jiān) — to visit a prisoner (in jail); to make a prison… | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

探监 specifically means visiting someone who is incarcerated — the 探 ('visit/check on') + 监 ('prison/jail') compound. It is not general visitation; use 看望 for visiting sick people or relatives in hospital.

verb

to visit a prisoner (in jail)to make a prison visit

Examples

。
Wǒ qù nián qù jiān yù tàn guò yí cì jiān.
Last year I went to the prison to visit a prisoner once.
探监。
Tā měi gè yuè dōu qù tàn jiān.
He goes to visit the prisoner every month.
探监。
tàn jiān Shí xū yào dēng jì shēn fèn xìn xī.
When visiting a prisoner, you need to register your identity information.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

The act 探 is directed at 监, giving the sense of visiting a prisoner.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

扌Written in full as手shǒuhand

Sound part声符shēngfú

𥥍

𥥍𥥍探tàn

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

In 探, the 扌 part is a hand, and 𥥍 gives the sound.

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 監; 监 is its simplified writing.

臥臥wòa person with an emphasized eye
皿皿mǐncontainer

The traditional form 監 shows 臥, a person with an emphasized eye, looking into 皿, a container; the simplified 监 is a later shorthand.

Appears in

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