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探访 (tàn fǎng) — to visit (for a purpose, e.g., an interview or investigation); to seek out; to search for (a person or place)

Definition

A purposeful visit — going somewhere specifically to look into, interview, or learn about a person, place, or situation, often with an investigative or research angle. Stronger and more deliberate than a casual 看望.

verb
to visit (for a purpose, e.g., an interview or investigation)to seek outto search for (a person or place)

Examples

  • 探访。
    Jì zhě zhuān chéng qù zāi qū tàn fǎng shòu zāi qún zhòng.
    The journalist made a special trip to the disaster area to visit the victims.
  • 探访，。
    Tā huā le sān nián shí jiān tàn fǎng mín jiān yì rén, shōu jí chuán tǒng qǔ pǔ.
    He spent three years seeking out folk artists and collecting traditional scores.
  • 探访。
    Zhè cì tàn fǎng ràng wǒ duì dāng dì wén huà yǒu le gèng shēn de lǐ jiě.
    This visit gave me a deeper understanding of the local culture.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

探tànseek out
访fǎngvisit

The 探 sense of seeking out joins with 访 as visiting to express purposeful search or visit.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
扌Written in full as手shǒuhand
Sound part声符shēngfú
𥥍
𥥍𥥍探tàn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

In 探, the 扌 part is a hand, and 𥥍 gives the sound.

Open 探 →

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 訪; 访 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yántalk
Sound part声符shēngfú
方
方fāng訪fǎng
Same sound today

The traditional form 訪 pairs 言 (talk) with 方 to give the sound; the simplified 访 is a shorthand, so its right side is not the historical part.

Open 访 →
Appears in
Communication & Speech

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