问安 (wèn ān) — to pay one's respects (to elders); to wish someone good health

Definition

问安 (wèn ān) is a formal, traditional verb meaning to greet elders or seniors and ask about their health — a ritual respect gesture, especially at festivals. Typical in fixed phrases like 向父母问安 or 给长辈问安.

verb
to pay one's respects (to elders)to wish someone good health

Examples

  • 问安。
    Tā měi tiān zǎo chén dōu xiàng fù mǔ wèn ān.
    He pays his respects to his parents every morning.
  • 问安。
    Kè rén xiàng zhǔ rén wèn ān hòu rù zuò.
    The guests paid their respects to the host and then took their seats.
  • 。
    Tā měi nián chūn jié dōu qù gěi zhǎng bèi wèn yí gè ān.
    He goes to pay his respects to the elders every Spring Festival.

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
安ānpeace

问 is to ask and 安 is peace, so the action is asking after someone's health.

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 →

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
宀宀mián
Sound part声符shēngfú
女
女nǚ安ān
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

In 安, 宀 sits above a seated 女 on a cushion; 宀 is the meaning part, 女 is the sound part, and the character originally meant sitting at ease.

Open 安 →

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