慰问
wèi wèn · HSK 5
to express sympathy
💐 慰 = comfort + 问 = ask; comfort-asking = paying sympathy call
慰 means to console or comfort; 问 means to ask or inquire. Together: asking after someone to console them — the formal act of expressing sympathy, like a condolence visit or official greeting to the bereaved or ill.
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.