足迹 (zú jì) — footprint, track | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

Literary/figurative 'footprints' — traces someone leaves in a place, field, or era. More abstract than 脚印 (literal prints in dirt); pairs with 踪迹 for figurative 'traces'.

noun

footprinttrack

Measure word · 个

Examples

足迹。
Shā tān shàng liú xià le xǔ duō zú jì.
Many footprints were left on the beach.
足迹。
Tā zài kē xué lǐng yù liú xià le shēn shēn de zú jì.
He left deep footprints in the field of science.
足迹。
Jǐng chá gēn jù zú jì zhǎo dào le xiǎo tōu.
The police found the thief based on the footprints.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

足 means foot and 迹 means trace, so 足迹 is a trace left by a foot.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

足 was originally drawn as a leg.

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.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 7-9 Miscellaneous Objects

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