查考 (chá kǎo) — to investigate; to try to ascertain (through research or historical documents)

Definition

A formal verb meaning 'to investigate / research', typically through documents or historical sources. Colloquial speech prefers 查 (chá); 调查 is a more institutional 'investigate / survey'.

verb
to investigateto try to ascertain (through research or historical documents)

Examples

  • 查考。
    Tā huā le sān nián shí jiān chá kǎo zhè jiàn shì de zhēn xiàng.
    He spent three years investigating the truth of this matter.
  • 查考。
    Zhè xiē wén xiàn zhí dé rèn zhēn chá kǎo.
    These documents are worth careful investigation.
  • 查考，。
    Jīng guò duō cì chá kǎo, zhōng yú zhǎo dào le zhèng jù.
    After many rounds of investigation, they finally found the evidence.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

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

查cháinvestigate
考kǎoexamine

查 and 考 both involve examining: to investigate carefully.

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
木木mùwood
Sound part声符shēngfú
且
且qiě查chá
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

查 pairs 木 (wood) with 且, which shows the sound. It originally meant a hawthorn tree or a wooden raft.

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

  • 耂耂lǎoan old man with long hair, bent over
  • 丂丂kǎoa walking cane

In 考, the upper 耂 is an old man with long hair, bent over, and the lower 丂 is a walking cane.

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