寻找
xúnzhǎo · HSK 4
to seek; to look for
🔍 寻 = seek + 找 = find; together: search for / look for
寻 means to seek or search (with effort), and 找 means to find or look for. Combined, 寻找 emphasizes an active quest — searching with intent until you locate what you need.
寻 — hand 彐 (top) + inch 寸 (bottom), simplified from 尋
Originally a compound showing two hands measuring a length, with 工 and 口 between them, indicating the act of measuring with outstretched arms. The traditional form 尋 referred to a unit of length (about eight chi). The meaning extended from 'measure' to 'search for' or 'seek out'.
找 — hand radical 扌 + dagger-axe 戈
Originally a phono-semantic compound: the hand radical 扌 suggests the action, while 戈 (a halberd) hints at the sound. The early sense related to handling or seeking with the hand, which broadened over time to mean 'to look for' and later 'to give change' in commercial use.