访谈 (fǎng tán) — to interview; to have an interview with

Definition

访谈 (fǎngtán) means to interview someone in depth, usually for media or research — a long-form sit-down talk, more substantive than the job-focused 面试 or quick news-gathering 采访. 访问 is broader, covering visits and even websites.

verb
to interviewto have an interview with

Examples

  • 访谈。
    Jì zhě fǎng tán le yí wèi zhù míng zuò jiā.
    The reporter interviewed a famous writer.
  • 访谈，。
    Wǒ men fǎng tán le jǐ wèi gù kè, liǎo jiě tā men de xū qiú.
    We interviewed several customers to understand their needs.
  • 访谈，。
    Tā fǎng tán guò hěn duō zhuān jiā, jīng yàn hěn fēng fù.
    She has interviewed many experts and has rich experience.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

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

访fǎngvisit
谈tántalk

“访” and “谈” are parallel actions: going to see someone and talking with them.

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.

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 →

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 談; 谈 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yánspeech
Sound part声符shēngfú
炎
炎yán談tán
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

For 谈, the traditional form 談 pairs 言 (speech) with 炎 (yán) as the sound part.

Open 谈 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 6Communication & SpeechMedia & News

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