寻 xún to seek
to seek; to search
How to remember 寻: 𫜹 snout + 寸 inch = to seek. The police dog pushes its snout through the snow inch by inch, trained to seek the lost hiker.
Component breakdown
寻 = 𫜹 snout + 寸 inch
- 𫜹 snout
- 寸 inch
The police dog pushes its snout through the snow inch by inch, trained to seek the lost hiker.
How it is used
- 寻找 (xúnzhǎo) - to search for - is the formal/written counterpart to everyday 找 (zhǎo), often used for meaningful or difficult searches like 寻找自我 (xúnzhǎo zìwǒ) - searching for oneself.
- 寻求 (xúnqiú) means to seek something abstract, e.g. 寻求帮助 (xúnqiú bāngzhù) - to seek help.
- The idiom 耐人寻味 (nàirénxúnwèi) describes something thought-provoking, worth pondering over.
- Learners should default to 找 in casual speech and reserve 寻/寻找 for writing or more formal talk.