diff --git a/Lib/pydoc.py b/Lib/pydoc.py
index ebd8a612c5..f0b020012e 100755
--- a/Lib/pydoc.py
+++ b/Lib/pydoc.py
@@ -1479,13 +1479,14 @@ def locate(path, forceload=0):
         else: break
     if module:
         object = module
-        for part in parts[n:]:
-            try: object = getattr(object, part)
-            except AttributeError: return None
-        return object
     else:
-        if hasattr(builtins, path):
-            return getattr(builtins, path)
+        object = builtins
+    for part in parts[n:]:
+        try:
+            object = getattr(object, part)
+        except AttributeError:
+            return None
+    return object
 
 # --------------------------------------- interactive interpreter interface
 
diff --git a/Lib/test/test_pydoc.py b/Lib/test/test_pydoc.py
index 7591303d2d..ae56996e88 100644
--- a/Lib/test/test_pydoc.py
+++ b/Lib/test/test_pydoc.py
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 import os
 import sys
+import builtins
 import difflib
 import inspect
 import pydoc
@@ -425,6 +426,23 @@ class TestDescriptions(unittest.TestCase):
         expected = 'C in module %s object' % __name__
         self.assertIn(expected, pydoc.render_doc(c))
 
+    def test_builtin(self):
+        for name in ('str', 'str.translate', 'builtins.str',
+                     'builtins.str.translate'):
+            # test low-level function
+            self.assertIsNotNone(pydoc.locate(name))
+            # test high-level function
+            try:
+                pydoc.render_doc(name)
+            except ImportError:
+                self.fail('finding the doc of {!r} failed'.format(o))
+
+        for name in ('notbuiltins', 'strrr', 'strr.translate',
+                     'str.trrrranslate', 'builtins.strrr',
+                     'builtins.str.trrranslate'):
+            self.assertIsNone(pydoc.locate(name))
+            self.assertRaises(ImportError, pydoc.render_doc, name)
+
 
 @unittest.skipUnless(threading, 'Threading required for this test.')
 class PydocServerTest(unittest.TestCase):
diff --git a/Misc/NEWS b/Misc/NEWS
index d90faf9d7a..34ceb2afcc 100644
--- a/Misc/NEWS
+++ b/Misc/NEWS
@@ -244,6 +244,9 @@ Core and Builtins
 Library
 -------
 
+- Issue #8887: "pydoc somebuiltin.somemethod" (or help('somebuiltin.somemethod')
+  in Python code) now finds the doc of the method.
+
 - Issue #10968: Remove indirection in threading.  The public names (Thread,
   Condition, etc.) used to be factory functions returning instances of hidden
   classes (_Thread, _Condition, etc.), because (if Guido recalls correctly) this