办案 (bàn àn) — to handle a legal case; to apprehend a criminal… | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

办案 means 'to handle a case' — to investigate, prosecute, or otherwise work on a legal case as a police officer, lawyer, or judge. 案件 names the case itself; 办案 names the act of working on it.

verb

to handle a legal caseto apprehend a criminalto make an arrest

Examples

办案。
Jǐng chá zhèng zài bàn àn.
The police are handling a case.
。
Tā men bàn le yì qǐ zhòng yào de àn jiàn.
They handled an important case.
。
Zhè wèi lǜ shī bàn guò hěn duō dà àn.
This lawyer has handled many major cases.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

办案 joins 办, handle, and 案, case, to mean handling a legal case.

Characters in this word

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 辦; 办 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

力力lìstrength

Sound part声符shēngfú

辡

辡biàn辦bàn

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 辦 combines 力 (strength) with 辡, which gives the sound; the simplified 办 is a later shorthand.

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

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.

Appears in

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