探

See also: 深

探	U+63A2, 探 CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-63A2

← 採
[U+63A1]

CJK Unified Ideographs

掣 →
[U+63A3]

Translingual

Han character

探 (Kangxi radical 64, 手+8, 11 strokes, cangjie input 手月金木 (QBCD), four-corner 5709₄, composition ⿰扌罙)

Derived characters

𠽄

References

KangXi: page 438, character 14
Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 12276
Dae Jaweon: page 788, character 12
Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 3, page 1907, character 6
Unihan data for U+63A2

Chinese

trad.		探
simp. ^#		探
alternative forms		𢲘

Glyph origin

Characters in the same phonetic series (罙) (Zhengzhang, 2003)

	Old Chinese
探	l̥ʰuːm, l̥ʰuːms
棎	*ɦljom
賝	*l̥ʰum
琛	*l̥ʰum
穼	*srum
深	hljum, hljums

Phono-semantic compound (形聲, OC *l̥ʰuːm, *l̥ʰuːms) : semantic 扌 (“hand”) + phonetic 𥥍 ().

Etymology

As the initial of the 罙 phonetic series is uncertain, 探 (tàn) may be related to 深 (shēn) (provided the initial was *nh-) (Schuessler, 2007).

Alternatively, this agrees with Mizo tham (“to feel (especially with the hand)”).

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Pinyin): tàn (tan⁴)
(Zhuyin): ㄊㄢˋ
Cantonese (Jyutping): taam³, taam¹
Hakka (Sixian, PFS): tâm / tham
Min Dong (BUC): tăng
Min Nan
(Hokkien, POJ): thàm / tham
(Teochew, Peng'im): tam³
Wu (Wiktionary): thoe (T2)

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: tàn
  - Zhuyin: ㄊㄢˋ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: tàn
  - Wade–Giles: tʻan⁴
  - Yale: tàn
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: tann
  - Palladius: тань (tanʹ)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /tʰän⁵¹/
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou)⁺
  - Jyutping: taam³, taam¹
  - Yale: taam, tāam
  - Cantonese Pinyin: taam³, taam¹
  - Guangdong Romanization: tam³, tam¹
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /tʰaːm³³/, /tʰaːm⁵⁵/
Hakka
- (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Meinong)
  - Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: tâm / tham
  - Hakka Romanization System: dam´ / tam
  - Hagfa Pinyim: dam¹ / tam⁴
  - Sinological IPA: /tam²⁴/, /tʰam⁵⁵/
Min Dong
- (Fuzhou)
  - Bàng-uâ-cê: tăng
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /tʰaŋ⁵⁵/
Min Nan
- (Hokkien: Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, Jinjiang, General Taiwanese)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: thàm
  - Tâi-lô: thàm
  - Phofsit Daibuun: taxm
  - IPA (Quanzhou, Jinjiang): /tʰam⁴¹/
  - IPA (Xiamen, Zhangzhou, Kaohsiung): /tʰam²¹/
  - IPA (Taipei): /tʰam¹¹/
- (Hokkien: General Taiwanese)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: tham
  - Tâi-lô: tham
  - Phofsit Daibuun: tafm
  - IPA (Taipei, Kaohsiung): /tʰam⁴⁴/
- (Teochew)
  - Peng'im: tam³
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: thàm
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /tʰam²¹³/
Wu
- (Shanghainese)
  - Wiktionary: thoe (T2)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /tʰø³⁴/

Middle Chinese: /tʰʌm/

Rime
Character	探
Reading #	1/1
Initial (聲)	透 (6)
Final (韻)	覃 (159)
Tone (調)	Level (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Open
Division (等)	I
Fanqie	他含切
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/tʰʌm/
Pan Wuyun	/tʰəm/
Shao Rongfen	/tʰɒm/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/tʰəm/
Li Rong	/tʰᴀm/
Wang Li	/tʰɒm/
Bernard Karlgren	/tʰăm/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	tān
Expected Cantonese Reflex	taam¹

Old Chinese
(Baxter–Sagart): /*l̥ˤ[ə]m/
(Zhengzhang): /*l̥ʰuːm/, /*l̥ʰuːms/

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	探
Reading #	1/1
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	tān
Middle Chinese	‹ thom ›
Old Chinese	/*l̥ˁ[ə]m/
English	put the hand into and test
Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter–Sagart system: * Parentheses "()" indicate uncertain presence; * Square brackets "[]" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. [t] as coda may in fact be -t or -p; Angle brackets "<>" indicate infix; * Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary; * Period "." indicates syllable boundary.

Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character	探	探
Reading #	1/2	2/2
No.	11249	11250
Phonetic component	罙	罙
Rime group	侵	侵
Rime subdivision	3	3
Corresponding MC rime	探	僋
Old Chinese	/*l̥ʰuːm/	/*l̥ʰuːms/

Definitions

探

to find; to locate
to search; to grope for
to visit

Compounds

Derived terms from 探

一探究竟
伺探
刺探 (cìtàn)
勘探 (kāntàn)
包探 (bāotàn)
哨探
喝探
四郎探母
密探 (mìtàn)
打探 (dǎtàn)
探丸
探事人
探信
探候
探先
探刺
探勘 (tànkān)
探友
探取
探囊 (tànnáng)
探囊取物 (tànnáng qǔ wù)
探子 (tànzi)
探察 (tànchá)
探底
探悉
探戈 (tàngē)
探房
探手
探春
探春之宴
探望 (tànwàng)
探本溯源
探查 (tànchá)
探求 (tànqiú)
探海 (tànhǎi)
探消息
探源 (tànyuán)
探班 (tànbān)
探病 (tànbìng)
探看 (tànkàn)
探知 (tànzhī)
探究 (tànjiū)
探竿影草
探索 (tànsuǒ)

探腰
探花 (tànhuā)
探花宴
探花郎
探虎口
探路 (tànlù)
探身 (tànshēn)
探身子
星探 (xīngtàn)
暗探 (àntàn)
深探海
眺探
警探 (jǐngtàn)
踅探
伸頭探腦／伸头探脑
偵探／侦探 (zhēntàn)
偵探小說／侦探小说
太空探險／太空探险
巴頭探腦／巴头探脑 (bātóutànnǎo)
扒頭探腦／扒头探脑
探個究竟／探个究竟
探傷／探伤
探口氣／探口气
探口風／探口风
探員／探员
探問／探问 (tànwèn)
探喪／探丧
探囊胠篋／探囊胠箧
探奇窮異／探奇穷异
探奇訪勝／探奇访胜
探奧索隱／探奥索隐
探尋／探寻 (tànxún)
探尋勝跡／探寻胜迹
探幽窮賾／探幽穷赜
探幽索隱／探幽索隐
探本窮源／探本穷源
探檢／探检
探海轉／探海转
探淵索珠／探渊索珠
探測／探测 (tàncè)
探測船／探测船
探湯／探汤
探照燈／探照灯 (tànzhàodēng)
探爪兒／探爪儿

探異玩奇／探异玩奇
探監／探监 (tànjiān)
探礦／探矿
探籌／探筹
探細人／探细人
探聽／探听 (tàntīng)
探視／探视 (tànshì)
探親／探亲 (tànqīn)
探親家／探亲家
探討／探讨 (tàntǎo)
探訪／探访 (tànfǎng)
探詢／探询 (tànxún)
探賾索微／探赜索微
探賾索隱／探赜索隐
探軍／探军
探軍人／探军人
探鉤／探钩
探陰山／探阴山
探險／探险 (tànxiǎn)
探險家／探险家
探頭／探头 (tàntóu)
探頭探腦／探头探脑 (tàntóutànnǎo)
探頭縮腦／探头缩脑
探頭舒腦／探头舒脑
探題／探题
探風聲／探风声
探馬／探马 (tànmǎ)
探騎／探骑
探驪得珠／探骊得珠
探驪獲珠／探骊获珠
探鬮／探阄
樂探／乐探
狗探湯／狗探汤
研幾探賾／研几探赜
祕探／秘探
窺探／窥探 (kuītàn)
細探人／细探人
討探／讨探
試探／试探 (shìtàn)
迴聲探測／回声探测
遙感探測／遥感探测
鑽探／钻探 (zuāntàn)
體探／体探

Japanese

Kanji

探

(grade 6 “Kyōiku” kanji)

look for

Readings

Go-on: とん (ton)^{←とん (ton, historical)}^{←とむ (tomu, ancient)}
Kan-on: たん (tan, Jōyō)^{←たん (tan, historical)}^{←たむ (tamu, ancient)}
Kun: さがす (sagasu, 探す, Jōyō); さぐる (saguru, 探る, Jōyō)

Suffix

探(たん) • (-tan)

(archaic) spy from (a country)
- 1947, Ango Sakaguchi, 『二十七歳』
  独(どく)探(たん)のケンギを受(う)けて、大(たい)正(しょう)五(ご)年(ねん)だかに国(こく)外(がい)退(たい)去(きょ)を命(めい)じられたという。
  Doku-tan no kengi o ukete, Taishō go-nen daka ni kokugai taikyo o meijirareta to iu.
  [He was] accused of being a German spy and was officially deported in some time around 1916, as the story goes.

Korean

Etymology

From Middle Chinese 探 (MC tʰʌm). Recorded as Middle Korean 탐 (tham) (Yale: tham) in Hunmong Jahoe (訓蒙字會 / 훈몽자회), 1527.

Hanja

Wikisource探 (eumhun 찾을 탐 (chajeul tam))

Hanja form^? of 탐 (“search”).

Compounds

탐구 (探究, tamgu)
탐사 (探査, tamsa)
탐색 (探索, tamsaek)
탐문 (探問, tammun)
탐방 (探訪, tambang)
탐지 (探知, tamji)
탐험 (探險, tamheom)
염탐 (廉探, yeomtam)
탐구 (探求, tamgu)
정탐 (偵探, jeongtam)
탐정 (探偵, tamjeong)
시탐 (試探, sitam)

References

국제퇴계학회 대구경북지부 (國際退溪學會大邱慶北支部) (2007). Digital Hanja Dictionary, 전자사전／電子字典.

Vietnamese

Han character

探: Hán Nôm readings: thám, phăm, thăm, thớm, xăm, xom, tham

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