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询问 (xún wèn) — to inquire, to ask (formally)

Definition

询问 is a formal verb for 'to inquire / to ask' — more written and polite than the everyday 问. Use 提问 for posing a question, and 查询 for looking up records or data.

verb
to inquireto ask (formally)

Examples

  • 询问。
    Tā zhèng zài xún wèn guān yú bǐ sài de qíng kuàng.
    He is inquiring about the competition.
  • 询问？
    Nín xún wèn guò gōng zuò rén yuán le ma?
    Have you asked the staff?
  • 询问，。
    Jīng guò xiáng xì xún wèn, tā men liǎo jiě le quán bù guò chéng.
    After detailed inquiries, they understood the whole process.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

询xúninquire
问wènask

询 and 问 both mean to ask, so together they express making an inquiry.

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 詢; 询 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yán
Sound part声符shēngfú
旬
旬xún詢xún
Same sound today

The traditional form 詢 pairs 言 (speech) with 旬, which gives its sound; the simplified 询 is a shorthand.

Open 询 →

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 問; 问 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
口口kǒu
Sound part声符shēngfú
門
門mén問wèn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 問 combines 口 (mouth) with 門, which gives the sound; the simplified 问 is a later shorthand and its parts are not the historical components.

Open 问 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 5HSK 2.0 Level 5Communication & Speech5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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