猜测

Étymologie et composants

The Chinese word 猜测 (cāicè) is composed of two characters: 猜 (cāi) and 测 (cè). The character 猜 originally meant "to divine" or "to predict" and was often used in the context of fortune-telling or divination. Over time, its meaning evolved to include "to guess" or "to speculate". The character 测 originally meant "to measure" or "to survey" and was often used in the context of surveying land or measuring distances. Over time, its meaning evolved to include "to estimate" or "to assess". When combined, the two characters 猜 and 测 form the word 猜测, which means "to guess" or "to speculate". This word is commonly used in everyday conversation to express the idea of making an educated guess or forming an opinion based on limited information.