搜查 (sōu chá) is a formal verb meaning 'to conduct an official search' — typically by law enforcement, customs officers, or security personnel. It implies a systematic, authorized inspection of a place, person, vehicle, or belongings to find evidence, contraband, or prohibited items. The first character 搜 (sōu) means 'to search for' or 'to scour', often with physical effort; the second character 查 (chá) means 'to inspect', 'to examine', or 'to investigate'. Together, they form a compound emphasizing thorough, institutional scrutiny rather than casual looking.

This term appears in legal, administrative, and security contexts — for example, police searching a suspect’s home, border agents inspecting luggage, or workplace audits. It carries connotations of authority, procedure, and sometimes intrusion, so it is rarely used for personal or informal searching (e.g., 'looking for your keys' would use 找, not 搜查). It is commonly paired with objects like 房间 (room), 车辆 (vehicle), or 行李 (luggage), and often modified by adverbs like 彻底 (thoroughly) or 依法 (according to law).