帮凶 (bāng xiōng) — accomplice, accessory to a crime | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

帮凶 is a noun for someone who helps the main perpetrator commit a crime — i.e. an accomplice or accessory. Paired with 主犯 (main culprit): 主犯 is the leader, 帮凶 are the helpers.

noun

accompliceaccessory to a crime

Measure word · 个

Examples

帮凶。
Jǐng fāng dài bǔ le zhè qǐ qiǎng jié àn de bāng xiōng.
The police arrested the accomplices in this robbery case.
，帮凶。
Tā shì zhǔ fàn, qí tā jǐ gè rén zhǐ shì bāng xiōng.
He is the main culprit; the others are just accomplices.
，帮凶。
Zài zhè ge àn zi zhōng, bāng xiōng yě yào chéng dān zé rèn.
In this case, the accomplices must also bear responsibility.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

凶xiōngvillain

帮 gives help and 凶 gives villain, making one who helps a villain.

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 幫; 帮 is its simplified writing.

封帛幫

Meaning part形符xíngfú

帛帛bósilk

Sound part声符shēngfú

封

封fēng幫bāng

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

In 帮's traditional form 幫, 帛 (silk) gives the meaning and 封 gives the sound; it originally named the upper part of a shoe.

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.

Appears in

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