勘 kān to investigate
to investigate; to survey; to explore; to collate
怎么记住“勘”: 甚 considerably + 力 power = to investigate. The detective's new flashlight has considerably more power than his old one, so tonight he goes back to the dark warehouse to investigate.
部件结构
形声 · Meaning + sound
One part gives the meaning, the other gives the sound.
勘 = 甚 considerably + 力 power
- 甚 considerably sound
- 其 this or that
- 𠃊 corner
- 八 eight
- 力 power meaning
The detective's new flashlight has considerably more power than his old one, so tonight he goes back to the dark warehouse to investigate.
How it came to be
The power part gives the meaning and the left part the sound: to look at something carefully and hard.
用法
- To survey/investigate on the ground, and to collate texts: 勘探 (kāntàn) to prospect/explore (for minerals), 勘察 (kānchá) to survey a site, 勘误 (kānwù) to correct errata.
- Technical register: geology, engineering, publishing.
- The common thread is careful checking against reality or a source.