考

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The Chinese character 考 (kǎo) is composed of two parts: the radical 言 (yán), which means "speech" or "language," and the phonetic component 考 (kǎo), which is a pictograph of a person holding a brush and writing. The character 考 originally meant "to examine" or "to test," and it was often used in the context of imperial examinations, which were used to select officials for government positions. Over time, the meaning of 考 has expanded to include other forms of testing and evaluation, such as school exams and standardized tests. The character 考 can also be used as a verb meaning "to consider" or "to think about," and it can also be used as a noun meaning "an examination" or "a test."