noun
audience with a superior
Formal, historical term for a meeting with a high-ranking person, especially nobility. In modern Japanese, the compound 謁見 is more common.
See also: 謁見
「謁」は、貴人に会うことを表す古い漢語です。
謁 is an old Sino-Japanese word meaning to meet a noble person.
noun
visiting card; name card
Archaic term for a calling card, used historically when requesting an audience. Not used in modern Japanese; 名刺 is the standard word.
江戸時代には、訪問時に「謁」を差し出す習慣があった。
In the Edo period, there was a custom of presenting a visiting card (謁) when calling on someone.
謁見 is the standard modern compound for 'audience with a superior', while 謁 alone is rare and literary.
名刺 is the common modern word for 'business card' or 'name card', replacing the archaic 謁.
The kanji 謁 is a Sino-Japanese morpheme meaning 'to have an audience with a superior'. The standalone noun usage is rare and mostly historical; the exact derivation of the 'visiting card' sense is uncertain but likely related to the practice of presenting a card when requesting an audience.