Chinese word dictionary

寻根溯源

xún gēn sù yuán · see 追根溯源[zhui1 gen1 su4 yuan2]

Practice word

Word information

Simplified寻根溯源

Traditional尋根溯源

Pinyinxún gēn sù yuán

Part of speechDictionary

HSK 3.0Not listed

HSK 2.0Not listed

Character breakdown

Study each Hanzi separately, then return to the complete word so pronunciation, meaning, and movement stay connected.

寻xún

to seek; to search for, to look for; ancient

根gēn

root, basis, foundation

溯sù

to paddle upstream, to go against the current; to trace the source; formerly

源yuán

spring; source, root, head; surname

How to learn 寻根溯源

Listen once without reading, repeat the pinyin with its tones, then write every character in sequence. Finally, recall the complete meaning instead of memorizing each character as an isolated translation.

When the word appears in a sentence, check whether its part of speech and meaning match the definition shown here. Chinese words can change nuance with context.

Related vocabulary

Words with the same characters

Compare how a familiar Hanzi changes meaning inside another word.

根据gēnjù

according to; based on; basis; foundation; CL:個|个[ge4]

根gēn

root; basis; classifier for long slender objects, e.g. cigarettes, guitar strings; CL:條|条[tiao2]; radical (chemistry)

根本gēnběn

fundamental; basic; root; simply; absolutely (not); (not) at all; CL:個|个[ge4]

来源láiyuán

source (of information etc); origin

寻找xúnzhǎo

to seek; to look for

资源zīyuán

natural resource (such as water or minerals); resource (such as manpower or tourism); see 資源縣|资源县[Zi1 yuan2 Xian4]