Chinese word

质问

Pronunciation

Pinyinzhì wèn

Meaning

  • verbdemand an explanation

Example

她当面质问他去哪儿了。tā dāng miàn zhì wèn tā qù nǎr le

She directly demanded to know where he had gone.

Illustration for 质问 (demand an explanation)

More examples

记者公开质问官员的决定。jì zhě gōng kāi zhì wèn guān yuán de jué dìng

The reporter publicly demanded an explanation for the official's decision.

Core concept

A forceful demand that another person explain what they did or said.

Common phrases

  • 公开质问gōng kāi zhì wèn

    publicly demand an explanation

  • 严厉质问yán lì zhì wèn

    sternly demand an explanation

  • 反复质问fǎn fù zhì wèn

    repeatedly demand an explanation

Similar words

责问zé wèn: A strong demand for an explanation of a person's fault or responsibility.
盘问pán wèn: Detailed questioning about a situation or account to uncover the truth.
审问shěn wèn: Formal questioning of a suspect or involved person to obtain facts in an investigation or trial.
追问zhuī wèn: Further questioning to clarify a point left unclear by an earlier answer.

Definition in Chinese

当面或公开向对方提出严厉的追问或指责，要求其解释言行或说明原因。dāng miàn huò gōng kāi xiàng duì fāng tí chū yán lì de zhuī wèn huò zhǐ zé yāo qiú qí jiě shì yán xíng huò shuō míng yuán yīn

Word origin

The compound 质 (zhì, "challenge") + 问 (wèn, "ask") turns ordinary asking into a direct challenge for an explanation.

Usage tips

  • The word fits disputes, complaints, and serious confrontations better than friendly information-seeking, even when English uses the broad word question.

Other meanings

  • questionverb
  • press for answersverb

Opposites

Related words

  • 质问者zhì wèn zhěquestionernoun

Word lists with this word