失踪

• Pinyin: shī zōng
• Hanzi breakdown: 失 = 手 + 乙 (to lose, to fail); 踪 = 足 + 宗 (footstep, trace)

Meaning

To go missing; to disappear without trace. The state of having vanished with no known whereabouts.

Used when a person or object cannot be located and their fate is unknown. Common in news reports, criminal investigations, and disaster coverage. Collocations: 失踪人员 (missing persons), 宣告失踪 (officially declared missing), 下落不明 (whereabouts unknown), 失踪案件 (missing persons case).

Examples

1. 该男子在登山途中与同伴失去联系，随后被警方宣告失踪，搜救队伍已连续搜索了三个昼夜。 The man lost contact with his companions during a climb and was later reported missing by police; rescue teams have been searching continuously for three days and nights.
2. 战争期间有数万平民下落不明，政府专门设立了失踪人员信息登记系统以协助家属查询。 During the war, tens of thousands of civilians went missing, and the government set up a missing-person information registry to help families make inquiries.
3. 这批珍贵文物在运输过程中神秘失踪，至今没有任何线索指向其下落。 This batch of priceless cultural relics mysteriously went missing during transport, and to this day there are no leads as to their whereabouts.

Usage Guide

Context: news, law, emergency, crime

Tone: serious

Do Say

• 警方已对该失踪儿童展开大规模搜寻行动，呼吁市民若发现相关线索请立即拨打报警电话。(The police have launched a large-scale search operation for the missing child, and are calling on the public to immediately call the emergency line if they find any relevant clues.)
• 他在执行任务期间突然失踪，战友们推测其可能遭遇了意外，指挥部随即启动了紧急搜寻预案。(He suddenly went missing during a mission; his comrades speculated he may have met with an accident, and headquarters immediately activated the emergency search plan.)

Don't Say

• 失踪 to describe someone who is merely late or unavailable — use 联系不上 (cannot be reached) or 没有露面 (didn't show up) instead

Origin & History

失 (to lose) + 踪 (trace, footsteps)

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal