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侵犯 (qīn fàn) — to violate; to infringe on (rights, territory, etc.); to assault; to violate (a person, especially sexually)

Definition

侵犯 covers both rights-violation (legal, personal) and physical/sexual assault — broader than 侵权 (rights only) and 触犯 (laws, dignity only); 侵略 and 入侵 refer to military or territorial incursion.

verb
to violateto infringe on (rights, territory, etc.)to assaultto violate (a person, especially sexually)

Examples

  • 侵犯。
    Zhè zhǒng guǎng gào qīn fàn le xiāo fèi zhě de zhī qíng quán.
    This kind of advertisement infringes on consumers' right to know.
  • 侵犯。
    Tā yīn qīn fàn tā rén yǐn sī bèi qǐ sù.
    He was sued for violating others' privacy.
  • 侵犯。
    Guó jiā zhǔ quán bù róng qīn fàn.
    National sovereignty brooks no violation.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

侵qīnencroach
犯fànviolate

侵 encroaches and 犯 violates, together meaning to infringe or assault.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

侵 combines 人 (person), 帚 (broom), and 又 (hand) into the image of a person with a broom in hand.

Open 侵 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
犬犬quǎn
Sound part声符shēngfú
𢎘
𢎘𢎘犯fàn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

犯 combines 犬 and 𢎘: 犬 gives the meaning, and 𢎘 gives the sound.

Open 犯 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9HSK 2.0 Level 6Crime & PoliceLaw & Justice5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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