学问
xuéwèn · HSK 4
knowledge
📚 学问 = study (学) + ask (问); knowledge built by learning and questioning
The compound literally pairs 学 (xué, to study/learn) with 问 (wèn, to ask/inquire). Together they name the scholarly result of both halves: accumulated learning, erudition, the body of knowledge a person gains by studying and questioning.
学 — hands 𦥑 + roof 冖 + child 子
Originally 學, depicting two hands manipulating something (often interpreted as counting rods or the 爻 trigram symbols) under a roof, with a child 子 below — a child learning under instruction. The simplified form 学 replaces the top with a stylized 龸. Core meaning has always been 'to study, learn'.
问 — gate 门 (phonetic) + mouth 口 (semantic)
问 is a phono-semantic compound. The 口 (mouth) on the inside gives the meaning—using the mouth to ask—while 门 (gate/door) supplies the sound, close to 'mén/wèn'. The traditional form 問 places 口 inside 門, vividly suggesting speaking through a doorway to inquire.