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考证 (kǎo zhèng) — to verify through textual research or critical examination of sources; textual criticism; scholarly verification

Definition

考证 (kǎozhèng) means scholarly verification — checking facts, sources, or authenticity through careful textual research. It is more rigorous and academic than everyday words for 'check' like 检查 or 核实.

verb
to verify through textual research or critical examination of sourcestextual criticismscholarly verification

Examples

  • 考证。
    Zhè wèi lì shǐ xué jiā huā le shí nián shí jiān kǎo zhèng zhè ge gǔ dài shì jiàn.
    This historian spent ten years doing textual research on this ancient event.
  • 考证，。
    Tōng guò kǎo zhèng, tā men fā xiàn zhè fú huà bú shì zhēn jì.
    Through textual research, they discovered that this painting is not authentic.
  • 考证，。
    Tā de kǎo zhèng fāng fǎ fēi cháng yán jǐn, dé dào le xué shù jiè de rèn kě.
    His method of textual criticism is very rigorous and has been recognized by the academic community.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

考kǎoexamine
证zhèngprove

考 (“examine”) and 证 (“prove”) combine to mean verify through research.

Characters in this word

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.

Open 考 →

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 證; 证 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yán
Sound part声符shēngfú
登
登dēng證zhèng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 證 pairs 言, a words/speech part, with 登 as a sound clue; the simplified 证 is a later shorthand.

Open 证 →
Appears in
Reading & WritingScience (General)

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