对照 (duì zhào) — to compare, to contrast; to check (against a re…

Definition

Means 'to compare' or 'to check against a reference' (often with 把). Closer to 比较 but with a focus on checking one against another. 对比 highlights sharper differences; 并列 just places things side by side.

verb

to compareto contrastto check (against a reference)

Examples

对照，。
Nǐ bǎ dá àn hé yuán wén duì zhào yí xià, kàn kàn yǒu méi yǒu cuò wù.
Check your answers against the original to see if there are mistakes.
。
Zhè liǎng zhāng zhào piàn yí duì zhào jiù néng kàn chū bù tóng.
Compare these two photos and you'll see the difference right away.
对照，。
Qǐng duì zhào yí xià zhè fèn míng dān, kàn kàn yǒu méi yǒu yí lòu.
Please check this list against something to see if anything is missing.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

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

对duìmatch

照zhàoexamine

「对」 contributes matching or checking, and 「照」 contributes examining, so together they mean to compare.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 對; 对 is its simplified writing.

丵丵zhuótool for digging
土土tǔearth
又又yòuhand

For the traditional form 對, the shape comes from an early drawing of 丵 (a digging tool), 土 (earth), and 又 (a hand); it may have meant developing land.

Open 对 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

灬昭照

Meaning part形符xíngfú

灬Written in full as火huǒfire

Sound part声符shēngfú

昭

昭zhāo照zhào

Same sound today

照 uses 灬, a bottom form of 火 (fire), plus 昭 for the sound.

Open 照 →

Appears in