寻求
xúnqiú · HSK 5
seek
🔍 寻 (search) + 求 (request) = seek out and request
寻 means to search or look for; 求 means to request or beg. Together 寻求 is the active pursuit of something needed — seeking and asking for it. Often used for abstract goals: help, truth, opportunity.
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'.
求 — pictograph of a fur garment
求 originally depicted a fur coat or pelt, with hairs hanging from the sides. It was later borrowed phonetically to mean 'seek' or 'request,' and the original 'fur' meaning was taken over by 裘. Today 求 almost always means to seek, beg, or pursue.