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追本溯源

zhuī běn sù yuándictionary entry
DEFINITION CC-CEDICT
to trace sth back to its origin
Sources & editorial notes

Reference definitions: CC-CEDICT contributors and MDBG, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source release 2026-10-27T01:55:52Z. Imported 2026-10-27. Definition wording and meaning order are retained. Recognized pronunciation references are displayed with tone marks; the original source record is available below.

Source record: cd-f9634c13fe4e6608. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

追本溯源 追本溯源 [zhui1 ben3 su4 yuan2] /to trace sth back to its origin/

Reference definitions and teaching material have separate provenance.

Reference information

The definitions above are from CC-CEDICT. Examples and usage notes are available on selected entries.

Character information

View the individual characters. Their meanings do not necessarily explain the meaning of the whole word.

  • 追
    duī

    to sculpt / to carve / musical instrument (old)

    zhuī

    to chase / to pursue / to look into / to investigate / to reminisce / to recall / to court (one's beloved) / to binge-watch (a TV drama) / retroactively / posthumously

  • 本
    běn

    (bound form) root / stem / (bound form) origin / source / (bound form) one's own / this / (bound form) this / the current (year etc) / (bound form) original / (bound form) inherent / originally / initially / capital / principal / classifier for books, periodicals, files etc

  • 溯
    sù

    to go upstream / to trace the source

  • 源
    yuán

    root / source / origin

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.