求知 (qiú zhī) — to seek knowledge, to pursue learning

Definition

求知 (qiú zhī) is a formal, written verb meaning 'to seek knowledge / pursue learning' — a literary phrase used in essay-style contexts, not everyday speech.

verb
to seek knowledgeto pursue learning

Examples

  • 求知。
    Tā yì shēng dōu zài qiú zhī.
    He spent his whole life seeking knowledge.
  • ，。
    Wèi le zhè ge xiàng mù, tā qiú le hěn duō zhī.
    For this project, he sought a lot of knowledge.
  • 求知。
    qiú zhī Shì tuī dòng shè huì jìn bù de zhòng yào lì liàng.
    The pursuit of knowledge is an important force driving social progress.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

求qiúseek
知zhīknowledge

求 means seek and 知 means knowledge, so together they mean to seek knowledge.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

求 began as a drawing of a centipede.

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

An early form of 知 showed 大 (adult), 口 (mouth), and 子 (child): an adult speaking to a child to pass on knowledge. The 子 part was dropped, and the 大 part changed shape.

Open 知 →

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