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追根溯源

Mandarin · pinyin zhuī gēn sù yuán

to pursue sth back to its origins
to trace back to the source
to get to the bottom of sth

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Characters in this entry

追: zhuī · pursue, chase after; expel
根: gēn · root, base(d on); foundation
溯: sù · go upstream, go against current; formerly
源: yuán · spring; source, head; surname

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

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Mandarin tones

1–1–4–2 · zhui1 gen1 su4 yuan2

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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.

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Compare dictionary sources 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

zeoi1 gan1 sou3 jyun4

Cantonese word readings for 追根溯源. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

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