追根

zhuīgēn
verb #31,008

Meanings

  1. 1 to trace something back to its source
  2. 2 to get to the bottom of something
  3. 3 to investigate the root cause

Examples

Tā xǐhuān zhuīgēn-wèndǐ.
He loves getting to the bottom of things.
Zhuīgēn zhège wèntí yào cóng shí nián qián shuō qǐ.
Tracing this issue back, it goes back ten years.

Tips

usage
Most commonly appears in the four-character set phrase 追根 (zhuīgēn-wèndǐ) or 追根 (zhuīgēn-jiūdǐ), "to chase the root and ask the bottom" — i.e., relentlessly investigate. Standalone 追根 is a shortened, somewhat literary form.

Stroke Order

zhuī
gēn