Chinese word

追究

Pronunciation

Pinyinzhuī jiū

Meaning

  • verbhold accountable

Example

公司会追究责任。gōng sī huì zhuī jiū zé rèn

The company will hold the responsible party accountable.

Illustration for 追究 (hold accountable)

More examples

记者要求当局追究事件的真相。jì zhě yāo qiú dāng jú zhuī jiū shì jiàn de zhēn xiàng

The reporter demanded that the authorities investigate the truth of the incident.

Core concept

Presses past the surface of an incident to establish what caused it and who must answer for it.

Common phrases

  • 追究责任zhuī jiū zé rèn

    hold accountable

  • 追究真相zhuī jiū zhēn xiàng

    investigate the truth

  • 追究原因zhuī jiū yuán yīn

    investigate the cause

Similar words

调查diào chá: Examine facts and circumstances to understand what happened and why.
查明chá míng: Find out the facts of a matter and establish them clearly.
查处chá chǔ: Investigate wrongdoing and take official action against those responsible.
追查zhuī chá: Trace clues through an incident or problem to pursue its cause or those responsible.

Definition in Chinese

对已发生的问题或行为进行深入调查，查明根本原因或追问责任，常用于书面或正式场合。duì yǐ fā shēng de wèn tí huò xíng wéi jìn xíng shēn rù diào chá chá míng gēn běn yuán yīn huò zhuī wèn zé rèn cháng yòng yú shū miàn huò zhèng shì chǎng hé

Word origin

追 (zhuī, "follow") + 究 (jiū, "investigate deeply") forms a verb for pursuing facts until nothing important remains unexplained.

Usage tips

  • News reports and official notices use this verb readily, but casual speakers often choose 弄清楚 (nòng qīngchu, "sort out clearly") when no blame is being assigned.

Other meanings

  • question closelyverb
  • investigateverb

Opposites

Word lists with this word