Definitions

xún (verb) to patrol; to make rounds; to inspect

Etymology

To walk  by the river  also provides the pronunciation

About

The character 巡 denotes the authoritative act of patrolling a designated area, conducting an inspection tour, or systematically moving through a territory to maintain order and security. It is a phono-semantic compound: the enclosing semantic radical 辶 (chuò) represents movement, walking, or progressing along a path, directly linking the character to physical travel and geographic displacement. Nested within this radical is the component 巛 (chuān), a variant of the character for river that originally depicted flowing water. This component serves as both a phonetic indicator and a subtle semantic cue, evoking the continuous, unimpeded motion characteristic of a flowing river. The character is commonly applied to military detachments, police forces, and government officials conducting formal rounds of inspection, ensuring that defined boundaries are secured and administrative duties are carried out methodically across multiple locations.

Etymology Hide

Bronze etymology image
Bronze Late Warring States (~250 BC)
Seal etymology image
Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
Traditional Modern
Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

警察在街上逻。

Jǐngchá zài jiē shàng xúnluó.

Police patrol on the street.

回展览很受欢迎。

Xúnhuí zhǎnlǎn hěn shòu huānyíng.

The touring exhibition is very popular.

他负责查工厂安全。

Tā fùzé xúnchá gōngchǎng ānquán.

He is responsible for inspecting factory safety.

演音乐会将下周举行。

Xúnyǎn yīnyuèhuì jiāng xiàzhōu jǔxíng.

The tour concert will be held next week.

警迅速赶到现场。

Xúnjǐng xùnsù gǎndào xiànchǎng.

The patrol officer quickly arrived at the scene.

访期间他收集了很多意见。

Xúnfǎng qījiān tā shōujíle hěnduō yìjiàn.

During the inspection tour, he collected many opinions.

天计划发现了新行星。

Xúntiān jìhuà fāxiànle xīn xíngxīng.

The sky survey project discovered new planets.

回医疗队为村民看病。

Xúnhuí yīliáo duì wèi cūnmín kànbìng.

The mobile medical team treats villagers.