归案 (guī àn) — to bring (a criminal) to justice; to arrest and…

Definition

A formal/legal term meaning to bring a suspect to court — arrest, return to authorities, and prosecute. Used in official and journalistic contexts, not everyday speech.

verb

to bring (a criminal) to justiceto arrest and prosecute

Examples

归案。
Jǐng fāng zhōng yú bǎ nà ge zài táo de fàn rén guī àn.
The police finally brought the fugitive to justice.
归案，。
Zhè ge àn zi yǐ jīng guī àn le, xián yí rén zhèng zài děng dài shěn pàn.
This case has been closed; the suspect has been brought to justice and is awaiting trial.
，。
Tā céng jīng guī guò àn, dàn hòu lái yòu bèi fàng le chū lái.
He had been brought to justice before, but later he was released.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

归guīreturn

案àncase

归 suggests returning or bringing back, while 案 is the case, giving the idea of bringing someone to justice.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 歸; 归 is its simplified writing.

𠂤帚歸

𠂤𠂤𠂤ancient form of {{zh-l|*師|troops}}
帚帚zhǒubroom; sweep

The traditional form 歸 combines 𠂤 (troops) and 帚 (broom; sweep) to show sweeping away an enemy and returning; the simplified 归 is a later abbreviation.

Open 归 →

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