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问世 (wèn shì) — to be published; to appear (of books, products, artworks, etc.)

Definition

问世 means a work or product is formally released to the public — stronger and more literary than 出 (come out), with the nuance of 'entering the world' after creation.

verb
to be publishedto appear (of books, products, artworks, etc.)

Examples

  • 问世。
    Zhè bù xiǎo shuō jiāng yú xià ge yuè wèn shì.
    This novel will be published next month.
  • 问世。
    Xīn yí dài zhì néng shǒu jī jīn nián wèn shì.
    The new generation of smartphones came out this year.
  • 问世2010。
    Tā de huà zuò shǒu cì wèn shì shì zài 2010 nián.
    Her paintings were first exhibited in 2010.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

问wènask
世shìworld

问 ask and 世 world suggest bringing something before the world, hence appearing in print.

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 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 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 世 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9HSK 2.0 Level 6Change & Process

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