窥探 (kuī tàn) — to spy on; to pry into

Definition

verb

to spy onto pry into

Examples

窥探。
Tā zǒng shì zài bèi hòu kuī tàn bié rén de mì mì.
He's always prying into other people's secrets behind their backs.
窥探。
Shāng yè jiàn dié shì tú kuī tàn gōng sī de hé xīn jì shù.
Industrial spies tried to spy on the company's core technology.
窥探。
Bié kuī tàn bié rén de sī shēng huó.
Don't pry into other people's private life.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

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

窥kuīpeep

探tànprobe

窥 means peep and 探 means probe, so 窥探 suggests spying or prying.

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 窺; 窥 is its simplified writing.

穴規窺

Meaning part形符xíngfú

穴穴xué

Sound part声符shēngfú

規

規guī窺kuī

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 窺 puts 穴 (hole) beside 規, which gives the sound; the simplified 窥 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the historical components.

Open 窥 →

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.

Open 探 →

Appears in

Senses