搜救 is a compound noun meaning 'search and rescue' — the coordinated effort to locate and assist people who are missing, injured, or in danger. The first character 搜 (sōu) means 'to search' or 'to scour', while 救 (jiù) means 'to save' or 'to rescue'. Together, they form a standard term used primarily in emergency response contexts, such as natural disasters, mountain accidents, or maritime incidents. It implies both locating individuals and providing immediate aid.

The term is formal and institutional — commonly heard in news reports, official announcements, and emergency preparedness training. It is rarely used in casual speech or for non-human subjects (e.g., you wouldn’t say 搜救 a lost pet; instead, use 寻找 or 找). While it can appear in compound verbs like 搜救队 (search-and-rescue team) or 搜救行动 (search-and-rescue operation), 搜救 itself functions almost exclusively as a noun or nominal phrase in modern Chinese.