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造访 (zào fǎng) — to pay a visit, to call on (formal)

Definition

Formal written verb meaning 'to pay a visit / call on.' It is more literary than the everyday 拜访, and is used in journalistic or narrative prose (e.g., writers visiting a place).

verb
to pay a visitto call on (formal)

Examples

  • 造访，。
    Wǒ men tè dì lái zào fǎng nín, xiǎng qǐng jiào yì xiē wèn tí.
    We have come specially to call on you and ask a few questions.
  • 造访。
    Tā shàng zhōu zào fǎng le jǐ wèi lǎo tóng xué.
    He visited several old classmates last week.
  • 造访。
    Zhè wèi zuò jiā céng duō cì zào fǎng zhè ge piān pì de xiǎo cūn zhuāng.
    This writer has visited this remote village many times.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

造zàovisit
访fǎngvisit

造 and 访 both mean visit; together they form a formal way to say call on someone.

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
辵辵chuòto walk
口口kǒu
Sound part声符shēngfú
屮
屮chè造zào
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

Its origin is unclear, but early forms of 造 include 辵 (to walk) and 口, with 屮 as a sound part, and mean go or arrive.

Open 造 →

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
Friends & Social

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