Definition
上溯 is a verb with two main uses: a literal sense 'to sail upstream' (rare in modern speech) and a figurative sense 'to trace back to an earlier time, origin, or source' — very common in formal historical or genealogical writing. You'll almost always encounter the figurative meaning, often followed by 到 + time period or origin, to show something can be traced back that far.
v.
to sail upstreamto trace back to (historical origins, tradition, ancestor)
Examples
- 溯。Xiǎo chuán zài jiāng shàng nì shuǐ shǎng.The small boat sailed upstream against the current on the river.
- 上溯。Zhège xísú kěyǐ shǎng dào Tángdài.This custom can be traced back to the Tang Dynasty.
- 上溯。Tā huā le duō nián shíjiān shǎng jiāzú lìshǐ.He spent many years tracing back his family history.
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