wen (问) — to ask, to inquire, to ask after in Chinese

simplified

traditional

wèn

to ask · to inquire · question · to ask after · to call to account

HSK 1 笔画 6 部首门 (gate) 声调第四声 (falling) all wen readings →

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笔顺 bǐshùn · Stroke order

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字源 zìyuán Etymology & Structure

字源洞见 zìyuán dòngjiàn · Etymological Insight

问 wèn = 门 (mén, gate) + 口 (kǒu, mouth). The traditional form 問 nests a 口 inside 門, the double-leaf gate; the simplified 问 keeps the same logic with the streamlined 门. Here 门 mén is the phonetic, supplying the sound, while 口 kǒu is the semantic, supplying the meaning. The picture is a mouth at the gate: a voice calling out for an answer, asking to be let in or asking what lies beyond.

From that single image of a mouth seeking a reply, three senses branch:

1. To ask, to inquire. The core verb. 问问题 wèn wèntí (to ask a question), 提问 tíwèn (to pose a question), 请问 qǐngwèn (may I ask), 询问 xúnwèn (to inquire into).
2. To ask after, to care for. Asking not for information but out of concern: 问候 wènhòu (to send regards), 慰问 wèiwèn (to express sympathy to).
3. To call to account. Asking with authority, demanding an answer: 质问 zhìwèn (to interrogate), 过问 guòwèn (to concern oneself with; to intervene in).

The thread through all three is the same: a mouth directed at someone, expecting a response. Whether the voice seeks facts, offers warmth, or demands a reckoning, 问 is the act of putting a question to another person and waiting for what comes back through the gate.

构词 gòucí Word-Formation Patterns

构词规律 gòucí guīlǜ · A Mouth at the Gate 问 as to ask / inquire → 问题 question · 提问 to pose a question · 请问 may I ask · 询问 to inquire
问 as to ask after → 问候 to send regards · 慰问 to console · 问好 to say hello
问 as to call to account → 质问 to interrogate · 过问 to intervene · 追问 to press further
问 in fixed pairs → 学问 learning · 顾问 adviser · 访问 to visit · 疑问 doubt

问题 wèntí Questions & Problems

问题 wèntí question; problem; issue

N 名词 míngcí

问 wèn (to ask) + 题 tí (topic; subject). The single most common word built on 问. It covers both a question one asks and a problem one faces, and Chinese leaves which is meant to context.

我可以问一个问题吗？

Wǒ kěyǐ wèn yí ge wèntí ma?

May I ask a question?

这是一个很难的问题。

Zhè shì yí ge hěn nán de wèntí.

This is a difficult problem.

辨析 biànxī · question or problem? 问题 means both. 回答问题 huídá wèntí is "to answer a question," but 解决问题 jiějué wèntí is "to solve a problem," and 没问题 méi wèntí means "no problem." The verb tells you which sense is active: you answer a question, you solve a problem.

提问 tíwèn to ask a question; to raise a question

V/N 动名词 dòngmíngcí

提 tí (to raise; to bring up) + 问 wèn (to ask). To put a question forward, typically in a class or meeting. 老师提问 "the teacher asks a question," often of a student called on to answer.

学生可以随时提问。

Xuésheng kěyǐ suíshí tíwèn.

Students may ask questions at any time.

疑问 yíwèn doubt; query; an unresolved question

N 名词 míngcí

疑 yí (to doubt) + 问 wèn (to ask). A question that arises from uncertainty: 毫无疑问 háo wú yíwèn "without the slightest doubt." Also the grammatical term, as in 疑问句 yíwènjù "interrogative sentence."

对此我没有任何疑问。

Duì cǐ wǒ méiyǒu rènhé yíwèn.

I have no doubt at all about this.

请问 qǐngwèn To Inquire Politely

请问 qǐngwèn may I ask; excuse me (before a question)

V 动词 dòngcí

请 qǐng (please; to request) + 问 wèn (to ask). The polite opener for putting a question to a stranger, much like English "excuse me, may I ask." One of the first phrases a learner needs for asking directions.

请问，洗手间在哪里？

Qǐngwèn, xǐshǒujiān zài nǎlǐ?

Excuse me, where is the restroom?

询问 xúnwèn to inquire; to ask about; to seek information

V 动词 dòngcí

询 xún (to inquire) + 问 wèn (to ask). A formal verb for asking in order to gather information, common in writing and service contexts: 询问情况 "to inquire about the situation," 向某人询问 "to make inquiries of someone."

他向警察询问了路线。

Tā xiàng jǐngchá xúnwèn le lùxiàn.

He asked the police officer about the route.

辨析 biànxī · 问 vs. 询问 Plain 问 is the everyday verb for any kind of asking, neutral in register. 询问 is formal and specifically about gathering information, the word you meet at a counter, in a report, or in the news, never in casual chat between friends.

访问 fǎngwèn to visit; to call on; to interview; (computing) to access

V 动词 dòngcí

访 fǎng (to call on) + 问 wèn (to ask after). A formal visit made to a person, place, or, by modern extension, a website or file. 国事访问 "a state visit," 访问网站 "to access a website."

总统将访问三个国家。

Zǒngtǒng jiāng fǎngwèn sān ge guójiā.

The president will visit three countries.

问候 wènhòu To Ask After: Care & Accountability

语义洞见 yǔyì dòngjiàn · Semantic Insight

Beyond seeking facts, 问 can ask after a person. 问候 wènhòu is to inquire how someone is doing, to send regards: 请代我问候你的家人 "please give my regards to your family." The lighter 问好 wènhǎo does the same in speech, "to say hello on someone's behalf." When trouble has struck, 慰问 wèiwèn carries the asking into comfort, expressing sympathy to the sick, the bereaved, or the displaced. In each, the question is not "what is the answer" but "how are you," and the answer expected is the bond itself.

The same verb turns stern when authority asks. 质问 zhìwèn is to interrogate, to demand an explanation from someone in the wrong. 过问 guòwèn is to concern oneself with a matter, often to step in where one might have stayed out. And 追问 zhuīwèn is to press a question further, refusing the first evasive answer. Here the mouth at the gate is not pleading to be let in; it is calling the keeper out to account for what lies inside.

问候 wènhòu to send regards; to greet; to ask after someone

V 动词 dòngcí

问 wèn (to ask after) + 候 hòu (to wait on; to attend). To inquire warmly after another person, in speech or in writing: 致以亲切的问候 "to extend warm regards."

请代我问候你的父母。

Qǐng dài wǒ wènhòu nǐ de fùmǔ.

Please give my regards to your parents.

学问 xuéwèn learning; knowledge; scholarship

N 名词 míngcí

学 xué (to study) + 问 wèn (to ask). Knowledge built by studying and asking, the deep, earned kind. 很有学问 "highly learned." The word itself teaches that real knowledge grows from questions, not answers alone.

这位老先生很有学问。

Zhè wèi lǎo xiānsheng hěn yǒu xuéwèn.

This elderly gentleman is very learned.

顾问 gùwèn adviser; consultant

N 名词 míngcí

顾 gù (to look after; to consider) + 问 wèn (to ask). The person one turns to and asks for counsel: 法律顾问 "legal adviser," 技术顾问 "technical consultant." Literally the one whom you regard and question.

公司请了一位法律顾问。

Gōngsī qǐng le yí wèi fǎlǜ gùwèn.

The company hired a legal adviser.

成语 chéngyǔ Idioms & Set Phrases

不耻下问 bù chǐ xià wèn not ashamed to ask those below: to learn humbly from anyone Lit: not-ashamed-to-ask-down. From the Analects, praising the willingness to seek answers from those of lower rank or learning. The mark of a true scholar is asking without pride.

明知故问 míng zhī gù wèn to ask while already knowing: to ask a question whose answer you know full well Lit: clearly-know-yet-ask. Said of a question posed disingenuously, to make a point, to test someone, or to feign ignorance. Often mildly accusing: you knew the answer, so why ask?

答非所问 dá fēi suǒ wèn the answer is not what was asked: to give a reply beside the point Lit: answer-is-not-what-was-asked. The standard phrase for a response that dodges or misses the question, whether from evasion, misunderstanding, or scattered thinking.

不闻不问 bù wén bù wèn neither hear nor ask: to pay no attention to a matter at all Lit: not-hear-not-ask. To stay wholly indifferent, neither listening for news nor inquiring after it. Often a reproach for someone who ignores what should concern them.

记忆法 jìyìfǎ · Master Retention Image

See the gate, 门, with a single mouth, 口, set inside it, calling out for a reply. That mouth at the gate is the whole character. Everything 问 means is a voice putting a question to whoever holds the answer.

Send the mouth seeking facts and it asks a question (问题, 请问, 询问). Send it seeking a person's well-being and it asks after them with warmth (问候, 问好). Send it with authority and it asks for a reckoning (质问, 过问). And let asking become a habit of mind and it becomes learning itself (学问), the knowledge earned by never being ashamed to ask. Whenever you meet 问, picture the mouth at the gate and ask what kind of answer it is waiting for.