| 侦探 | zhēn tàn | detective / to do detective work | ![]() |
| 密探 | mì tàn | secret agent / detective / covert investigator | ![]() |
| 探子 | tàn zi | intelligence gatherer / spy / detective / scout / sound (medical instrument) / long and narrow probing and sampling utensil | ![]() |
| 探长 | tàn zhǎng | (police) detective | ![]() |
| 侦察员 | zhēn chá yuán | detective / investigator / scout / spy | ![]() |
| 暗探 | àn tàn | secret agent / detective | ![]() |
| 包探 | bāo tàn | detective (in former times) | ![]() |
| 探员 | tàn yuán | detective / investigator / agent | ![]() |
| 侦破 | zhēn pò | to investigate (as detective) / to solve (crime) / to uncover (a plot) / to sniff out / to break in and analyze / detective work / to scout | ![]() |
| 神探 | shén tàn | master sleuth / lit. miraculous detective / cf Sherlock Holmes 福爾摩斯|福尔摩斯[Fu2 er3 mo2 si1] or Di Renjie 狄仁傑|狄仁杰[Di2 Ren2 jie2] | ![]() |
| 警探 | jǐng tàn | police detective | ![]() |
| 遉 | zhēn | spy, reconnoiter / detective | ![]() |
