线索 | xiàn suǒ | trail / clues / thread (of a story) | |
绪 | xù | beginnings / clues / mental state / thread | |
端倪 | duān ní | boundary / clue / indication / to obtain clues / to infer | |
顺藤摸瓜 | shùn téng mō guā | lit. to follow the vine to get to the melon / to track sth following clues | |
察微知著 | chá wēi zhī zhù | to examine tiny clues to know general trends (idiom) / to deduce the whole story from small traces |