DICTIONARY · CC-CEDICT

蛛絲馬跡

简蛛丝马迹 · 繁蛛絲馬跡

Mandarin · pinyin zhū sī mǎ jì

lit. spider's thread and horse track
tiny hints (of a secret)
traces
clue

Full entryShow on map

Characters in this entry

蛛: zhū · spider
絲: Look up this written character
馬: Look up this written character
跡: Look up this written character
丝: sī · silk; fine thread; wire; strings
马: mǎ · horse; surname; Kangxi radical 187
迹: jì · traces, impressions, footprints

Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

Explore the spelling

Mandarin tones

1–1–3–4 · zhu1 si1 ma3 ji4

Compare attested words with these syllables ↗

Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.

Connected dictionary

5character links

Explore word families ↗Compare pronunciations ↗Open character structure ↗

Counts describe dictionary records, not word frequency or semantic similarity. Source identities stay separate.

Read this spelling in Classical texts

Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

蛛絲馬跡 · find source passages ↗ · 蛛丝马迹 · find source passages ↗

Explore Classical grammar ↗

Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

zyu1 si1 maa5 zik1

Cantonese word readings for 蛛絲馬跡. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

CanCLID contributors · CC BY 4.0 · source & license · Data pack

Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

phrase

(idiomatic) clue; trace; tiny hints

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source & license · Data pack