Chinese word

探望

Pronunciation

Pinyintàn wàng

Meaning

  • verbvisit

Example

我想明天去探望你。wǒ xiǎng míng tiān qù tàn wàng nǐ

I want to visit you tomorrow.

Illustration for 探望 (visit)

More examples

节后他去医院探望了受伤的同事。jié hòu tā qù yī yuàn tàn wàng le shòu shāng de tóng shì

After the holiday, he went to the hospital to visit his injured colleague.

Core concept

Going to see someone in order to notice their condition and show personal care.

Common phrases

  • 探望病人tàn wàng bìng rén

    visit a sick person

  • 探望亲友tàn wàng qīn yǒu

    visit relatives and friends

  • 探望朋友tàn wàng péng yǒu

    visit a friend

Similar words

看望kàn wàng: Visiting a sick or elderly person to see how they are and offer comfort or encouragement.
拜访bài fǎng: Calling on someone as a courtesy or for a specific purpose, usually to greet them and talk.
访问fǎng wèn: Visiting a person or place for work or research to gather information or conduct an official inquiry.
探视tàn shì: Visiting someone in a hospital or detention facility to check on their condition.

Definition in Chinese

到某人那里察看其近况并表示慰问或关怀，侧重于了解对方状态的探访。dào mǒu rén nà lǐ chá kàn qí jìn kuàng bìng biǎo shì wèi wèn huò guān huái cè zhòng yú liáo jiě duì fāng zhuàng tài de tàn fǎng

Word origin

探望 (tànwàng, "to visit and check on") joins the ideas of 探 (tàn, "to examine") + 望 (wàng, "to look"), linking physical visiting with concern for the person seen.

Usage tips

  • For everyday conversations, this word fits visits to relatives, friends, or other people who may need care more naturally than a word for a formal appointment.

Other meanings

  • visit a sick personverb

Opposites

Word lists with this word