下落不明 whereabouts unknown
Explanation
下落不明指的是不知道某人或某物在哪里，失去了联系或踪迹。
Whereabouts unknown refers to not knowing where someone or something is, having lost contact or trace.
Origin Story
战乱年代，一个小村庄被日军占领，村民们纷纷逃散，老张家的独子小明也跟着人群逃离了家园。然而，战争的残酷使得小明与家人失散，从此下落不明。老张夫妇日夜思念着儿子，四处打听他的消息，却始终没有音讯。他们翻山越岭，走遍了附近所有的村庄，甚至远赴他乡，却依然一无所获。多年过去了，小明的下落依然成谜，老张夫妇的心里充满了担忧和不确定，但他们从未放弃寻找儿子的希望，始终相信，总有一天会找到小明。
In the war-torn era, a small village was occupied by the Japanese army, and villagers fled in all directions. Xiaoming, the only son of the Zhang family, also escaped with the crowd. However, the cruelty of war separated Xiaoming from his family, and he has since been missing. Mr. and Mrs. Zhang missed their son day and night, looking everywhere for news of him, but to no avail. They climbed mountains and crossed rivers, visited all the nearby villages, and even went to foreign lands, but still found nothing. Many years passed, and Xiaoming's whereabouts remained a mystery. Mr. and Mrs. Zhang's hearts were filled with worry and uncertainty, but they never gave up hope of finding their son and always believed that they would find Xiaoming one day.
Usage
用于描述人或物失去联系，不知去向的情况。
Used to describe the situation where a person or thing has lost contact and is of unknown whereabouts.
Examples
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自从那次事件后，他的下落不明，令人担忧。
zìcóng nà cì shìjiàn hòu, tā de xiàluò bùmíng, lìng rén dānyōu。
Since that incident, his whereabouts are unknown, causing concern.
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警方正在全力搜寻下落不明的失踪人员。
gōngfāng zhèngzài quánlì sōuxún xiàluò bùmíng de shīzōng rényuán。
The police are working hard to search for the missing persons whose whereabouts are unknown.
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这艘船在暴风雨中失踪，下落不明。
zhè sōu chuán zài bàofēngyǔ zhōng shīzōng, xiàluò bùmíng。
The ship disappeared in the storm, its whereabouts are unknown.