去向
qù xiàng · HSK 7
whereabouts
🧭 去向 = 去 (go) + 向 (direction): which way something went = its whereabouts
去 means to go and 向 means direction or toward, so 去向 is the go-direction of someone or something — the line you trace to find where it ended up or its current whereabouts.
去 — 土 earth on top + 厶 (originally 凵, a vessel/container) below
Originally a pictograph showing a person (大) departing from an enclosed area or vessel, suggesting leaving or going away. Over time the top simplified to 土 and the bottom to 厶. The core meaning 'to go, to leave, to depart' has remained stable since ancient Chinese.
向 — roof 宀 + mouth 口
Originally a pictograph of a house with a north-facing window, showing an opening in a wall under a roof. The early meaning was 'north window,' which extended to 'the direction something faces,' then broadly to 'toward' or 'direction.' The modern shape simplified the window into 口.