访友 (fǎng yǒu) — to visit a friend; to call on a friend | tongtong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

访友 is a separable verb-object phrase (离合词) meaning 'to visit/call on a friend' — insert 了 or a numeral between 访 and 友, as in 访了一次友.

verb

to visit a friendto call on a friend

Examples

。
Wǒ zuó tiān fǎng le yí cì yǒu.
I visited a friend yesterday.
访友。
Tā dǎ suàn míng tiān qù fǎng yǒu.
He plans to go visit a friend tomorrow.
，访友。
Zhōu mò yǒu kòng de huà, wǒ men yì qǐ fǎng yǒu ba.
If we have time on the weekend, let's visit friends together.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

To visit a friend: 访 means 'visit' and 友 means 'friend'.

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 訪; 访 is its simplified writing.

言方訪

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.

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

又又友

又又yòu
又又yòu

友 is drawn as two 又, the hand form, side by side. The old explanation says two hands together mean friendship.

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