参考

The Chinese word 参考 (cānkǎo) is composed of two characters: 参 (cān) and 考 (kǎo). The character 参 (cān) originally meant "to join" or "to participate", and later extended to mean "to consult" or "to refer to". The character 考 (kǎo) originally meant "to test" or "to examine", and later extended to mean "to investigate" or "to study". When combined, the two characters 参考 (cānkǎo) literally mean "to consult and examine", and figuratively mean "to refer to" or "to consult for reference".The word 参考 (cānkǎo) has been used in Chinese for centuries, and has a wide range of meanings. It can be used as a verb, meaning "to refer to" or "to consult", or as a noun, meaning "reference" or "source of information". For example, the sentence 他参考了这本书 (tā cānkǎo le zhè běn shū) means "He referred to this book", while the sentence 这是一个很好的参考 (zhè shì yī ge hěn hǎo de cānkǎo) means "This is a very good reference".The word 参考 (cānkǎo) is also used in a number of compound words and phrases. For example, the word 参考书 (cānkǎo shū) means "reference book", while the phrase 参考意见 (cānkǎo yìjiàn) means "reference opinion".Overall, the word 参考 (cānkǎo) is a versatile and important word in Chinese, with a rich history and a wide range of meanings.