Origin

This character most likely combines the idea of measuring or span with the concept of searching. The upper part suggests a span or distance—an old unit of length—while the structure as a whole depicts the action of extending outward to investigate or measure something. When you "inquire" or "look for" something, you are essentially stretching your awareness or investigation outward, much like measuring a distance. The character's composition reflects this sense of reaching out to find information or understand something's extent, which is why it came to mean inquire, search, or fathom.