(xùn) — (bound form) news, message, dispatch; (bound form) to interrogate, question

Definition

讯 (xùn) is a bound form: it never stands alone. It appears in 通讯 ('communications'), 审讯 ('to interrogate'), and 讯息 ('message, information').

bound form
newsmessagedispatchto interrogatequestion

Examples

  • Xiàn dài tōng xùn jì shù fā zhǎn hěn kuài.
    Modern communication technology develops very quickly.
  • Jǐng fāng zhèng zài shěn xùn fàn zuì xián yí rén.
    The police are interrogating the criminal suspect.
  • Zhè tiáo xùn xī hěn zhòng yào, nǐ jì yí xià.
    This piece of news is very important; write it down.

Origin

Sound + meaning
六书liùshū
形声xíngshēng

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 訊; 讯 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
Sound part声符shēngfú
xùnxùn
Same sound today

The traditional form 訊 combines 言 (words) with 卂 as a sound part; the simplified 讯 is a shorthand.

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