检索 (jiǎn suǒ) is a formal, primarily written verb meaning 'to retrieve (information or data)' or 'to look up'—especially in digital, library, or database contexts. The character 检 (jiǎn) means 'to examine' or 'to check', while 索 (suǒ) conveys 'to search for' or 'to seek'. Together, they emphasize a systematic, purposeful process of finding specific information from a large or organized collection—not casual browsing, but targeted inquiry.

This word is commonly used in computing (e.g., search engines, database queries), academic research (library catalogs, journal databases), and official documentation. It rarely appears in casual speech; native speakers usually say 查 (chá) or 找 (zhǎo) in everyday conversation. 检索 implies precision, structure, and often technical tools—think typing keywords into a scholarly database or filtering records in software. It's also frequently paired with nouns like '系统' (system), '引擎' (engine), or '结果' (results).