搜 (sōu) — to search, to look up, to seek
Definition
搜 (sōu) means 'to search' or 'to look for' — broader and more physical than 查 (looking up info). 搜集 means 'to gather/collect', not to search.
verb
to searchto look upto seek
Easily confused
Examples
- 搜。Nǐ kě yǐ zài wǎng shàng sōu yí xià zhè ge zì de yì si.You can search online for the meaning of this character.
- 搜。Jǐng chá sōu le tā shēn shàng yǒu méi yǒu wǔ qì.The police searched him to see if he had any weapons.
- 搜，。Wǒ zài tú shū guǎn sōu zī liào, zhǔn bèi xiě lùn wén.I am searching for materials in the library to prepare for writing a thesis.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.
The left 扌 is a hand. The right 叟 gives the sound and originally pictured a hand holding a torch indoors, related to searching.
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