丝 sī — silk; thread; trace
春蚕吐出的丝可以织成绸缎。Chūn cán tǔ chū de sī kě yǐ zhī chéng chóu duàn.The silk spun by silkworms can be woven into satin.
Common words: 丝毫 (sī háo)、丝绸 (sī chóu)、一丝不苟 (yī sī bù gǒu)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "trace"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "trace", including 丝 (sī), 迹 (jī / jì), 踪 (zōng), 纹 (wén). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "trace" covers 4 different Chinese characters — 丝 (sī), 迹 (jī / jì), 踪 (zōng), 纹 (wén) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 4 characters do not share a sound — their readings span sī, jī, jì, zōng, wén — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 丝 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 丝 sīsilk; thread; traceUseful words: 丝毫, 丝绸
- 迹 jī / jìfootprint; mark; trace; vestige; sign; indicationUseful words: 奇迹, 迹象
- 踪 zōngfootprint; trace; tracksUseful words: 跟踪, 失踪
- 纹 wénline; trace; markUseful words: 皱纹, 斑纹
Common words for these 4 "trace" characters
Anchor each of these 4 characters in a word you can picture — start with 丝 (sī) — so "trace" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
丝毫sī háothe slightest amount or degree; a bit丝绸sī chóusilk (cloth)一丝不苟yī sī bù gǒunot one thread loose (idiom); strictly according to the rules; meticulous; not one hair out of place奇迹qí jìmiracle; wonder; marvel迹象jì xiàngsign; indication; mark; indicator痕迹hén jìvestige; mark; trace跟踪gēn zōngto follow sb's tracks; to tail; to shadow; tracking失踪shī zōngto be missing; to disappear; unaccounted for踪迹zōng jìtracks; trail; footprint; trace皱纹zhòu wénwrinkle
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 4 ways to say "trace".
迹 jī / jì — footprint; mark; trace; vestige; sign; indication
雪地上留下了一串脚印的痕迹。Xuě dì shàng liú xià le yí chuàn jiǎo yìn de hén jì.A trail of footprints was left in the snow.
Common words: 奇迹 (qí jì)、迹象 (jì xiàng)、痕迹 (hén jì)
踪 zōng — footprint; trace; tracks
那只小猫不知去向，没有了踪影。Nà zhī xiǎo māo bù zhī qù xiàng, méi yǒu le zōng yǐng.That kitten disappeared without a trace.
Common words: 跟踪 (gēn zōng)、失踪 (shī zōng)、踪迹 (zōng jì)
纹 wén — line; trace; mark
这块石头上有美丽的花纹。Zhè kuài shí tou shàng yǒu měi lì de huā wén.There are beautiful patterns on this stone.
Common words: 皱纹 (zhòu wén)、斑纹 (bān wén)、花纹 (huā wén)
All 4 characters
Open 丝、迹、踪 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.