凶杀案 (xiōng shā àn) — murder case | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

A formal/legal term for a murder case, built from 凶杀 (kill) + 案 (case). Use in news, police, or court contexts rather than everyday speech.

noun

murder case

Measure word · 起

Examples

凶杀案。
Jǐng chá zhèng zài diào chá yì qǐ xiōng shā àn.
The police are investigating a murder case.
凶杀案。
Zhè ge xiōng shā àn yǐn qǐ le shè huì de guǎng fàn guān zhù.
This murder case has attracted widespread social attention.
凶杀案。
Tā yīn wèi yì qǐ xiōng shā àn bèi pàn le wú qī tú xíng.
He was sentenced to life imprisonment for a murder case.

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.

凶杀violent killing

凶xiōngviolent杀shākill

偏正Modifier + head

案àncase

凶 (violent), 杀 (kill), and 案 (case) combine to mean a case of violent killing.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

凶 originally drew a hole with a lump of rock, mud, stone, or bamboo in it.

Open 凶 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 殺; 杀 is its simplified writing.

人人rénperson
又又yòuright hand

The traditional form 殺 comes from an old drawing of a boar impaled in the head, with 人 and 又 added to show a person doing the killing; the simplified 杀 is a later abbreviation.

Open 杀 →

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

木安案

Meaning part形符xíngfú

木木mù

Sound part声符shēngfú

安

安ān案àn

Same sound today

案 pairs 木, a wood/tree shape, with 安, which is used for its sound.

Open 案 →

Appears in