追查 (zhuī chá) — to investigate, to trace, to track down

Definition

verb

to investigateto traceto track down

追查。
Jǐng fāng zhèng zài zhuī chá zhè qǐ àn jiàn de zhēn xiàng.
The police are investigating the truth of this case.
追查。
Kē xué jiā men zhuī chá bìng dú de lái yuán.
Scientists are tracing the source of the virus.
追查，。
Jīng guò duō nián de zhuī chá, tā zhōng yú zhǎo dào le shī zōng de qīn rén.
After years of tracking down, he finally found his missing relative.

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

查cháinvestigate

追 says pursuing, and 查 says investigating.

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.

辶𠂤追

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.

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

木木mùwood

Sound part声符shēngfú

且

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

查 pairs 木 (wood) with 且, which shows the sound. It originally meant a hawthorn tree or a wooden raft.

Appears in