About
The character 猜, formed by the dog radical 犭 paired with the phonetic element 青, originally carried connotations of suspicion and wariness, likely drawing from perceived canine behavior. Its semantic range gradually shifted from denoting mistrust or jealousy to encompassing the neutral act of forming conjectures or estimates without certain knowledge. This evolution in meaning, where the emphasis moved from emotional caution to intellectual speculation, occurred while the character's structural composition remained unchanged, maintaining its etymological link to caution through the canine radical even as its primary use settled around the concept of guessing.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
你猜这是什么？
我猜不到答案。
孩子们喜欢猜谜语。
他猜测明天会下雨。
你能猜中我的心思吗？
根据线索，我猜出了凶手。
不要胡乱猜测别人的意图。
科学家通过数据猜测宇宙的年龄。