迹

A mark left by movement, ranging from concrete to abstract:

1. Literal: A physical footprint, track, or trail.

2. Evidentiary: A vestige, remnant, or "trace" of a past presence or action; evidence that something occurred.

3. Abstract: An indication, symptom, or omen (e.g., 跡象), serving as a sign for diagnostic or divinatory conclusions.

Primary function is as a noun. It typically represents the result of an action rather than the action itself.

Contrasted with 痕 (hén): while both can mean "mark" or "trace," 迹 implies a path, sequence, movement, or direction (a trail), whereas 痕 typically refers to a static mark, such as a scar, stain, or blemish.

Traditional form: 跡.

Simplified form: 迹.

Tang-period reading: *tziɛk.

Other variants include U+8DE1, U+8E5F, and U+901F.

The presence of the 足 (foot) radical anchors the meaning in the somatic, specifically an impression created by stepping or passing through.

Translators should distinguish whether the glyph refers to the physical object (the footprint) or the conceptual proof (the trace/evidence).