谒

謁

yè

曷 + 讠

Definitions

yè to visit (a superior)

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 讠 represents the meaning and 曷 represents the sound. Simplified form of 謁.

Semantic: 讠 Phonetic: 曷

About

The traditional character 謁 is a phono-semantic compound: the semantic radical 言 ('speech') on the left conveys meaning, while the phonetic component 曷 on the right provides the sound. The simplified form 谒 reduces the speech radical to 讠. The core meaning is the act of paying a formal, respectful visit to a person of higher status , a superior official or an elder , which historically entailed spoken formalities and structured conversational etiquette. In contemporary language, 谒 is used for official diplomatic visits, formal audiences with dignitaries, and solemn visits to historical monuments or the tombs of revered figures.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

他去谒见总统。

Tā qù yèjiàn zǒngtǒng.

He went to have an audience with the president.

我们准备谒陵。

Wǒmen zhǔnbèi yèlíng.

We are preparing to visit the tomb.

明天他去谒见老师。

Míngtiān tā qù yèjiàn lǎoshī.

Tomorrow he will formally visit the teacher.

他们拜谒了英雄纪念碑。

Tāmen bài yèle yīngxióng jìniànbēi.

They paid homage at the heroes' monument.

为了表示敬意，他专程谒见。

Wèile biǎoshì jìngyì, tā zhuānchéng yèjiàn.

To show respect, he made a special trip to pay a visit.

在节日里，人们常常谒祖寻根。

Zài jiérì lǐ, rénmen chángcháng yè zǔ xún gēn.

During festivals, people often visit ancestors to seek their roots.

古代官员必须定期谒见皇帝。

Gǔdài guānyuán bìxū dìngqī yèjiàn huángdì.

In ancient times, officials had to regularly have audiences with the emperor.

尽管天气恶劣，他仍然坚持谒陵以表达哀思。

Jǐnguǎn tiānqì èliè, tā réngrán jiānchí yèlíng yǐ biǎodá āisī.

Despite the bad weather, he still insisted on visiting the tomb to express grief.

Related Characters

Composed characters:

Component: 曷

Component: 讠

谒