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内应 (nèi yīng) — an inside contact; a planted agent (esp. in espionage)

Definition

A planted agent or inside contact — someone working covertly for one side while positioned within an opposing group. The term is specific to espionage and betrayal contexts, not everyday workplace informants.

noun
an inside contacta planted agent (esp. in espionage)

Examples

  • 内应。
    Jǐng fāng huái yí gōng sī nèi bù yǒu nèi yīng.
    The police suspect there is an inside contact in the company.
  • 内应。
    Tā shì yì míng yǐn cáng zài zhèng fǔ lǐ de nèi yīng.
    He is a planted agent hidden in the government.
  • 内应。
    Nà ge jiàn dié de nèi yīng bāng tā huò qǔ le jī mì wén jiàn.
    That spy's inside contact helped him obtain classified documents.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

内nèiinside
应yìngrespond

内 indicates inside, and 应 suggests responding, giving the sense of an inside contact.

Characters in this word

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

  • 入入rùto enter
  • 冂冂jiōnghouse

The shape shows 入 entering into 冂, a house, so it pictures bringing something indoors, giving the sense inside.

Open 内 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 應; 应 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
心心xīnheart
Sound part声符shēngfú
䧹
䧹䧹應yìng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 應 pairs 心 (heart) with 䧹 as a sound part; the simplified 应 is a later shorthand and its parts are not the original components.

Open 应 →
Appears in
Crime & Police

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