溯 (sù): to go upstream, to trace the source
溯 (sù) is a Chinese character meaning “to go upstream.” Classified as HSK Level 7-9 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 氵 (structural) and 朔 (structural). It ranks #2609 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 溯 to seek the source 朔 of a river 氵. Its radical form 氵 (water) appears in many related characters such as 水 (shuǐ, water), 汉 (hàn, Han ethnic group), 汽 (qì, steam).
Definitions
- to go upstream
- to trace the source
Etymology & Origin
ideographicTo seek the source 朔 of a river 氵
Decomposition: ⿰氵朔 (layout: left-right)
Stroke Order
Practice writing 溯 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 追溯 | zhuī sù | lit. to go upstream |
| 回溯 | huí sù | to recall |
| 溯源 | sù yuán | to investigate the origin of sth |
| 推本溯源 | tuī běn sù yuán | to go back to the source |
| 追本溯源 | zhuī běn sù yuán | to trace sth back to its origin |
| 追根溯源 | zhuī gēn sù yuán | to pursue sth back to its origins |
| 寻根溯源 | xún gēn sù yuán | see 追根溯源[zhui1 gen1 su4 yuan2] |
| 逆流溯源 | nì liú sù yuán | to go back to the source |
| 推溯 | tuī sù | to trace back to |
| 溯溪 | sù xī | river tracing |
溯 appears in 10 compound words: 20 as the first character, 30 as the last, and 50 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.
Strongest Collocations
Characters that most frequently co-occur with 溯 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (3)
Example Sentences
站在桥上望去，溯水缓缓向东流去。
zhàn zài qiáo shǎng wàng qù , sù shuǐ huǎn huǎn xiàng dōng liú qù .
Standing on the bridge, I watched the river flow gently eastward.
溯文脉之源 强自信之基——访北京师范大学副...
sù wén mài zhī yuán qiáng zì xìn zhī jī — — fǎng běi jīng shī fàn dà xué fù . . .
宁夏兴庆:小小溯源码让乡村好物提质出圈
nìng xià xīng qìng : xiǎo xiǎo sù yuán mǎ ràng xiāng cūn hǎo wù tí zhì chū juān
配送月子餐哪家好?食材是否可溯源到有机农场或合作基地
pèi sòng yuè zǐ cān nǎ jiā hǎo ? shí cái shì fǒu kě sù yuán dào yǒu jī nóng chǎng huò gě zuò jī dì
Which one is the best for delivering confinement meals? Whether the ingredients can be traced back to organic farms or cooperative bases
山上的老教堂的历史可以追溯到12世纪。
Shānshàng de lǎo jiàotáng de lìshǐ kěyǐ zhuīsù dào 12 shìjì.
The old church on the hill dates back to the twelfth century.
若追根溯源，绝大多数美国人都是移民。
Ruò zhuīgēnsùyuán, juédàduōshù Měiguórén dōu shì yímín.
Most Americans are descended from immigrants.
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 溯 (sù) mean in Chinese?
What's the difference between 溯 and 来?
How many strokes does 溯 have?
What is the radical of 溯?
What are the components of 溯?
What are common words containing 溯?
What characters sound the same as 溯 (sù)?
Is 溯 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 溯 with real-time feedback
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