下落

xiàluò

noun HSK 7 #4,977

Meanings

1 whereabouts (of a person or thing)
2 the place where someone or something has ended up

Characters

down; where something falls

to fall; to settle; to land

Literally 'where something has fallen/landed' — where someone or something has ended up.

Examples

警方正在调查嫌疑人的下落。

Jǐngfāng zhèngzài diàochá xiányírén de xiàluò.

The police are investigating the suspect's whereabouts.

那笔钱的下落不明。

Nà bǐ qián de xiàluò bùmíng.

The whereabouts of that money are unknown.

他失踪多年，至今下落不明。

Tā shīzōng duō nián, zhìjīn xiàluò bùmíng.

He's been missing for years, his whereabouts still unknown.

Tips

usage

下落不明 (xiàluò bùmíng, 'whereabouts unknown') is a fixed phrase commonly seen in news reports about missing persons, unsolved cases, or lost assets. It has a more formal, serious tone than simply saying 找不到.

Stroke Order

下 xià

落 luò