查

Étymologie et composants

The Chinese character 查 (chā) is composed of two parts: the radical 爫 (huǒ) and the phonetic component 查 (zhā). The radical 爫 represents fire, while the phonetic component 查 is a simplified form of the character 瘳 (chā), which means "to examine" or "to investigate". The character 查 first appeared in oracle bone script, the earliest known form of Chinese writing. In oracle bone script, 查 was written as a pictograph of a person holding a torch. This pictograph represented the act of searching or investigating, which is the original meaning of the character. Over time, the pictograph of 查 became simplified and stylized, eventually evolving into the modern form of the character. The phonetic component 查 was added to the character to indicate its pronunciation. The character 查 has a wide range of meanings, including "to examine", "to investigate", "to search", "to look up", and "to check". It is also used in the names of many Chinese cities and counties, such as Changsha (长沙), Chengdu (成都), and Chongqing (重庆).