诘问 (jié wèn) — to interrogate, to question closely (formal/literary)

Definition

诘问 (jiéwèn) means to question or interrogate closely, with a sharp, probing tone — stronger than ordinary 问, and used in formal or literary contexts like courtrooms or press conferences.

verb
to interrogateto question closely (formal/literary)

Examples

  • 诘问。
    Fǎ guān yán lì jié wèn bèi gào de dòng jī.
    The judge sternly interrogated the defendant's motive.
  • 诘问，。
    Jì zhě bú duàn jié wèn, ràng fā yán rén yǒu xiē gān gà.
    The reporter kept pressing with questions, making the spokesperson somewhat embarrassed.
  • 诘问，。
    Miàn duì jié wèn, tā chén mò bù yǔ.
    Faced with the close questioning, he remained silent.

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.

诘jiéquestion
问wènask/question

“诘” and “问” both mean question or interrogate, together giving a formal sense of close questioning.

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 詰; 诘 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yánspeech
Sound part声符shēngfú
吉
吉jí詰jié
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 詰 pairs 言 (speech) with 吉 as its sound part, and expresses the meaning of inquiring in detail.

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 問; 问 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
口口kǒu
Sound part声符shēngfú
門
門mén問wèn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 問 combines 口 (mouth) with 門, which gives the sound; the simplified 问 is a later shorthand and its parts are not the historical components.

Open 问 →

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