追回 (zhuī huí) — to recover; to retrieve

Definition

verb
to recoverto retrieve

Examples

  • 追回。
    Tā zhuī huí le diū de qián bāo.
    He recovered his lost wallet.
  • 追回。
    Jǐng chá zhuī huí le bèi tōu de diàn nǎo.
    The police recovered the stolen computer.
  • 追回？
    Wǒ men néng zhuī huí shī qù de shí jiān ma?
    Can we recover lost time?

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
补充bǔchōngVerb + complement

An action followed by its result or direction.

追zhuīchase
回huíback

追 chase plus 回 back gives chase something back.

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
辶Written in full as辵chuòmovement
Sound part声符shēngfú
𠂤
𠂤𠂤追zhuī
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The 辶 part shows movement, while 𠂤 gives the sound, for the sense of moving after or pursuing.

Open 追 →

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

回 comes from a drawing of a spiral, showing something turning around.

Open 回 →

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