查出
cháchū · HSK 6
to find out; to discover
🔍 查出 = 查 (check/investigate) + 出 (out) — investigate and bring out
查 means to check or look into something; 出 means out or to emerge. Together: the act of looking into something until the answer comes out — finding, uncovering, or detecting it.
查 — wood 木 + sun-on-tree 旦-like 且
Originally a variant form related to 楂 (a type of raft or wooden float), combining 木 (tree/wood) with 且 as phonetic. Over time it shifted to mean 'to inspect' or 'investigate,' likely through the idea of examining wood or tallies. The reading chá for 'check' became dominant in modern usage.
出 — foot 止 emerging from enclosure 凵
出 is a pictograph showing a foot or plant stepping out of a hollow or enclosure, depicting the act of going forth. The original sense of 'coming out' or 'emerging' has remained stable since oracle bone script. It now broadly means 'to exit, go out, or produce.'