验 (yàn) — to examine; to test; to check
Definition
验 (yàn) is a single-character verb meaning 'to examine / test,' mostly used as part of compounds like 检验 and 测验. Standalone 验 often appears after another verb (查验, 检验, 化验) — not usually alone in modern prose.
verb
to examineto testto check
Examples
- 。Hǎi guān rén yuán zhèng zài chá yàn rù jìng lǚ kè de xíng li.Customs officers are inspecting the luggage of arriving passengers.
- 。Xiàn xiě qián bì xū xiān yàn xuè.Your blood must be tested before donating.
- 。Zhì liàng jiǎn chá yuán xū yào zǐ xì jiǎn yàn měi yí jiàn chǎn pǐn.Quality inspectors need to carefully examine every product.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost 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 驗; 验 is its simplified writing.
Meaning part形符xíngfú
馬馬mǎ
Sound part声符shēngfú
僉
僉qiān驗yàn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.
The traditional form 驗 pairs 馬 (horse) with 僉 for sound; the simplified 验 is a later abbreviation.
Appears in
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