Definition
探望 (tàn wàng) means to visit someone, especially when they are ill, elderly, or in need of care — it carries a tone of concern and is more formal than the everyday 看望 (kàn wàng). Unlike 参观 (cān guān 'visit a place'), 探望 always takes a person as the object. The related 探亲 (tàn qīn) is more specific: visiting family after a long separation.
verb
to visit (someone, especially someone ill or elderly)
Examples
- 探望。Wǒ míngtiān qù yīyuàn tàn wàng yí wèi lǎo péngyou.I'm going to the hospital tomorrow to visit an old friend.
- 探望。Měi nián Chūnjié wǒmen dōu huì huí lǎojiā tàn wàng zhǎngbèi.Every Spring Festival we go back to our hometown to visit the elders.
- 探望。Tā zhuānchéng cóng Běijīng fēi lái tàn wàng shēngbìng de mǔqīn.She flew all the way from Beijing to visit her sick mother.
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