窜访

竄訪

cuànfǎng

verb

Meanings

1 (derogatory) to visit (a country, used disapprovingly of a foreign politician's trip)
2 to make a politically provocative visit

Characters

to flee; to scurry

Examples

外交部强烈反对该国领导人窜访台湾。

Wàijiāobù qiángliè fǎnduì gāi guó lǐngdǎorén cuànfǎng Táiwān.

The Foreign Ministry strongly opposes that country's leader making a provocative visit to Taiwan.

中方对此次窜访表示严重关切。

Zhōngfāng duì cǐ cì cuànfǎng biǎoshì yánzhòng guānqiè.

The Chinese side expresses grave concern over this politically illegitimate visit.

Tips

register

PRC official-media coinage. 窜 (cuàn) means ‘to flee / scurry’, normally used of bandits or fugitives — pinning that connotation onto 访 (fǎng, visit) deliberately delegitimizes the trip. Found almost exclusively in MFA statements and state-media coverage of Taiwan-related visits, e.g. Pelosi's 2022 trip.

mistakes

Don't use 窜访 for any normal state visit — that is 访问 (fǎngwèn) or 出访 (chūfǎng). Using 窜访 telegraphs a strong political stance.

Stroke Order

窜 cuàn

访 fǎng