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问答 (wèn dá) — (noun) questions and answers; Q&A; (verb) to interrogate; to question and answer

Definition

noun
questions and answersQ&A
verb
to interrogateto question and answer

Examples

  • 问答。
    Zhè ge wèn dá huán jié ràng guān zhòng gèng liǎo jiě chǎn pǐn.
    This Q&A session helped the audience understand the product better.
  • 问答。
    Wǎng shàng yǒu hěn duō guān yú zhè ge wèn tí de wèn dá.
    There are many Q&As about this issue online.
  • 问答。
    Tā men wèn dá le jǐ gè guān jiàn wèn tí.
    They asked and answered several key questions.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

问wènask
答dáanswer

问 means ask and 答 means answer; the two actions stand side by side as questions and answers.

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 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 →

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
竹竹zhúbamboo
Sound part声符shēngfú
合
合hé答dá
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

答 pairs 竹 (bamboo) with 合 as the sound part; the bamboo top replaced an older grass part by mistake.

Open 答 →
Appears in
Communication & Speech

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