探 tàn

1. tàn verb to visit
   Domain: Literary Chinese 文言文
   Notes: In the sense of 看望; for example, 探亲 'to visit family' (Guoyu '探' v 5)
2. tàn verb to seek; to find; to search; to grope for
   Domain: Literary Chinese 文言文
   Notes: In the sense of 寻求; for example, 探路 'find the path' (Guoyu '探' v 1; Unihan '探')
3. tàn verb to study; to examine
   Domain: Literary Chinese 文言文
   Notes: In the sense of 推究 (Guoyu '探' v 2)
4. tàn verb to inquire
   Domain: Literary Chinese 文言文
   Notes: In the sense of 打听 (Guoyu '探' v 3)
5. tàn noun a detective; an agent; an investigator
   Domain: Literary Chinese 文言文
   Notes: For example, 侦探 'detective' (Guoyu '探' n)
6. tān verb to try
   Domain: Literary Chinese 文言文
   Notes: In the sense of 试 (Guoyu '探' tān v 1)
7. tān verb to stretch forward
   Domain: Literary Chinese 文言文
   Notes: In the sense of 伸出 (Guoyu '探' tān v 2)

Contained in

• 探秘(探祕) to explore a mystery; to probe the unknown
• 探病 to visit a sick person or patient
• 坐探 inside informer; mole; plant
• 探身 to lean forward; to lean out (of a window, door etc)
• 探马(探馬) mounted scout (arch.)
• 警探 police detective
• 敌探(敵探) enemy spy
• 探测器(探測器) detector; probe; craft
• 探奥索隐(探奧索隱) to search for hidden mysteries
• 探测(探測) to survey; to probe
• 暗探 a detective ; to spy
• 探摸 to feel for; to grope
• 探视(探視) to visit (a patient, prisoner etc); to look inquiringly
• 探雷人员(探雷人員) mine detector (employee)
• 探知 to find out; to ascertain; to get an idea of
• 探明 to ascertain; to verify
• 探骑(探騎) a horse mounted scout
• 探望 to visit; to call on
• 探头探脑儿(探頭探腦兒) to ake a quick look around
• 探头(探頭) to extend one's head ; a probe; a detector; a search unit
• 探口风(探口風) to sound out opinions; to get somebody's views by polite or indirect questioning
• 试探(試探) to sound out; to probe; to feel out; to try out
• 探花 candidate who came third in the Han-lin examination
• 探问(探問) to inquire into; to ask after
• 探海灯(探海燈) a searchlight
• 探伤(探傷) to inspect metal for flaws (using X-ray or ultrasound etc)
• 探讨(探討) to investigate; to probe
• 探身子 to bend forward; to lean out
• 侦探小说(偵探小說) a crime novel
• 探赜索隐(探賾索隱) to search for hidden mysteries
• 探索时代(探索時代) Age of Discovery; Age of Exploration
• 探险者(探險者) an explorer
• 探头探脑(探頭探腦) take a quick look around
• 探风(探風) to make inquiries about somebody or something; to fish for information
• 妙探寻凶(妙探尋兇) Cluedo (board game)
• 探员(探員) detective; investigator; agent
• 探戈 tango
• 探亲(探親) to visit family
• 探求 to seek; to pursue; to investigate
• 探勘 to explore; to survey; to prospect (for oil etc); prospecting
• 探幽索隐(探幽索隱) to search for hidden mysteries
• 探视权(探視權) visitation rights
• 探询(探詢) to inquire into; to ask after
• 查探 to check; to investigate; to probe
• 探囊取物 to feel in one's pocket and take something; as easy as pie
• 探寻(探尋) to search; to seek; to explore
• 密探 secret agent; detective; covert investigator
• 打探 to make discreet inquiries; to scout out
• 探骊得珠(探驪得珠) to pluck a pearl from the black dragon; to pick out the salient points (from a tangled situation)

Also contained in

探竿影草 、 贾探春

Word is mentioned most frequently in

Truncated for common words

• 第二回 Chapter 55 Dream of the Red Chamber 紅樓夢 — count: 40
• 第二回 Chapter 62 Dream of the Red Chamber 紅樓夢 — count: 36
• 第二回 Chapter 56 Dream of the Red Chamber 紅樓夢 — count: 24
• 第二回 Chapter 74 Dream of the Red Chamber 紅樓夢 — count: 23
• 第二回 Chapter 73 Dream of the Red Chamber 紅樓夢 — count: 23
• 第二回 Chapter 37 Dream of the Red Chamber 紅樓夢 — count: 19
• 第二回 Chapter 83 Dream of the Red Chamber 紅樓夢 — count: 18
• 第二回 Chapter 70 Dream of the Red Chamber 紅樓夢 — count: 14
• 第二回 Chapter 27 Dream of the Red Chamber 紅樓夢 — count: 14
• 第二回 Chapter 75 Dream of the Red Chamber 紅樓夢 — count: 13

Collocations

• 探汤 (探湯) 見不善如探湯 — The Analects of Confucius 論語, 16. 《季氏》 Ji Shi — count: 9
• 探爵 (探爵) 景公探爵鷇 — Garden of Stories 說苑, 卷五 貴德 Chapter 5: Valuing Virtue — count: 5
• 探策 (探策) 如博士探策講試以求爵位邪 — Records of the Three Kingdoms 三國志, 卷四十二 蜀書十二　　杜周杜許孟來尹李譙郤傳 Volume 42: Book of Shu 12 - Biographies of Du, Zhou, Du, Xu, Meng, Lai, Yin, Li, Qiao, and Xi — count: 4
• 欲探 (欲探) 議欲探籌 — Book of Later Han 後漢書, 卷四十四 鄧張徐張胡列傳 Volume 44: Biographies of Deng, Zhang, Xu, Zhang, Hu — count: 3
• 人探 (人探) 使人探之 — Book of Later Han 後漢書, 卷八十二下 方術列傳 Volume 82b: Biographies of Alchemists 2 — count: 3
• 探幽 (探幽) 陛下探幽析微 — Book of Later Han 後漢書, 卷四十六 郭陳列傳 Volume 46: Biographies of Guo, Chen — count: 3
• 探筹 (探籌) 探籌 — Xunzi 荀子, 君道篇第十二 Chapter 12: The Way of the Sovereign — count: 3
• 探鷇 (探鷇) 大人過之則探鷇 — Huainanzi 淮南子, 卷十八　人間訓 Chapter 18: The Human World — count: 2
• 探祸福 (探禍福) 探禍福之機 — Book of Han 漢書, 卷一百上 敍傳 Volume 100a: Afterword and Family History 1 — count: 2
• 巢探 (巢探) 摘巢探鷇 — Luxuriant Dew of the Spring and Autumn Annals 春秋繁露, 卷十三 四時之副第五十五 人副天數第五十六 同類相動第五十七 五行相生第五十八 五行相勝第五十九 五行順逆第六十 治水五行第六十一　Scroll 13 — count: 2