匿迹 (nì jì) — to go into hiding, to disappear without a trace

Definition

Literary/formal verb meaning to vanish without a trace — a criminal fleeing or a recluse withdrawing from public life. More literary than the everyday 消失 ('disappear'), and stronger, implying deliberate concealment rather than simply fading away.

verb
to go into hidingto disappear without a trace

Examples

  • 匿迹，。
    Duō nián yǐ qián tā biàn nì jì shān lín, zài yě bú wèn shì shì.
    Many years ago he went into hiding in the mountains and stopped caring about worldly affairs.
  • 匿迹，。
    Zuì fàn zuò àn hòu lì kè nì jì, jǐng fāng zhì jīn wèi néng zhǎo dào tā.
    The criminal went into hiding immediately after committing the crime, and the police still haven't been able to find him.
  • ，。
    Tā zǎo jiù nì le jì, shuí yě bù zhī dào tā qù le nǎ lǐ.
    He had long since gone into hiding; no one knows where he went.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

匿nìhide
迹jìtraces

匿 means hide and 迹 means traces, so the sense is to hide one's traces.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
匸匸xìto conceal
Sound part声符shēngfú
若
若ruò匿nì
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

匿 pairs 匸, meaning to conceal, with 若, which gives the sound.

Open 匿 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
辶Written in full as辵chuòmove
Sound part声符shēngfú
朿
朿cì迹jì
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

迹 pairs 辶, a movement part, with 亦, a sound part; an older form used 朿.

Open 迹 →

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