Definitions

xún (verb) to search; to look for; to seek

Etymology

Simplified form of . Pictograph of two outstretched arms measuring length. The current meaning is a phonetic loan.

Semantic: Phonetic:

About

The character for 'to seek' is written as '寻' in its simplified form, which originates from the traditional character '尋', a composite structure built from the components 工, 口, 又, and 寸. Its earliest meanings were associated with the physical act of measuring or extending one's arms, a concrete action that gradually broadened to include the abstract idea of searching or inquiring. Over centuries, the semantic emphasis shifted entirely from measurement to the pursuit of what is lost or desired, establishing the modern sense of seeking or looking for. The simplified form '寻' preserves this fundamental concept while offering a graphically reduced version of the character.

Etymology Hide

Oracle etymology image
Oracle (~1250-1000 BC)
Oracle etymology image
Oracle (~1250-1000 BC)
Bronze etymology image
Bronze Late Shang dynasty (~1100 BC)
Bronze etymology image
Bronze Late Western Zhou (~800 BC)
Bronze etymology image
Bronze Early Spring and Autumn (~700 BC)
Bronze etymology image
Bronze Early Spring and Autumn (~700 BC)
Seal etymology image
Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)
Seal etymology image
Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)
Seal etymology image
Seal Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Cao Wei (Three Kingdoms: 222-280 AD)
Traditional Modern
Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

我在找我的猫。

Wǒ zài xúnzhǎo wǒ de māo.

I am looking for my cat.

找丢失的铅笔。

Tā xúnzhǎo diūshī de qiānbǐ.

He is looking for the lost pencil.

我们找了整整一天。

Wǒmen xúnzhǎole zhěngzhěng yī tiān.

We searched for a whole day.

思着明天的事情。

Tā xúnsi zhe míngtiān de shìqing.

She is thinking about tomorrow's matters.

这是一个常的早晨。

Zhè shì yīgè xúncháng de zǎochen.

This is an ordinary morning.

找真理是科学的目标。

Xúnzhǎo zhēnlǐ shì kēxué de mùbiāo.

Seeking truth is the goal of science.

他在图书馆找那本需要的书。

Tā zài túshūguǎn xúnzhǎo nà běn xūyào de shū.

He is looking for that needed book in the library.

人生就是不断找意义的过程。

Rénshēng jiùshì bùduàn xúnzhǎo yìyì de guòchéng.

Life is a constant process of searching for meaning.