About
The character "探" originally depicted the action of reaching into something with the hand, a meaning clearly conveyed by its structure which combines the hand radical (扌) with a phonetic component that also contributed to its sense of depth or searching. Its traditional form, which shares this basic composition, initially referred to the physical act of probing or groping, as in reaching into a bag or feeling one's way in the dark. Over centuries, this concrete sense naturally extended into more abstract realms of inquiry, such as examining, investigating, or exploring hidden information or distant places. The modern simplified form replaced its original phonetic element with the character for "deep" (深), a modification that semantically reinforces the idea of probing into profound or concealed matters, thus aligning the character's composition more transparently with its contemporary meanings of exploration and detection.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
我去医院探病。
他探索宇宙的奥秘。
警察探测犯罪现场。
科学家深入研究探索。
我们打算周末去探望亲戚。
探险队准备出发去深山。
通过探测数据，他们发现了新资源。
在探索未知领域时，我们必须谨慎。