采访 (cǎi fǎng) is a verb meaning 'to interview' or 'to report on'—typically used in journalistic, academic, or documentary contexts. The character 采 (cǎi) originally means 'to gather' or 'to collect', while 访 (fǎng) means 'to visit' or 'to inquire'. Together, they evoke the idea of actively going out to gather information through direct questioning and observation.

This word is commonly used when referring to reporters interviewing people for news stories, researchers conducting field interviews, or students gathering firsthand accounts for projects. It implies purposeful, face-to-face (or sometimes remote) interaction aimed at obtaining authentic perspectives or facts. While it can be used transitively ('interview someone') or intransitively ('conduct an interview'), it’s rarely used without an implied subject (e.g., a journalist or investigator) and often appears with objects like 专家 (zhuānjiā, 'expert'), 当事人 (dāngshìrén, 'involved party'), or 地方 (dìfāng, 'location').