投案 (tóu àn) — to turn oneself in; to surrender (to the police) | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

投案 means to surrender yourself to police — a formal/legal term for confessing and handing yourself in, not everyday 'admit' or 'apologize'. The agent is typically a suspect or criminal choosing to turn themselves in, often with 主动.

verb

to turn oneself into surrender (to the police)

Examples

投案。
Tā jué dìng qù gōng ān jú tóu àn.
He decided to go to the police station to turn himself in.
。
Tā zuó tiān zhǔ dòng tóu le àn.
He voluntarily surrendered yesterday.
投案。
Nà ge xiǎo tōu zuì zhōng tóu àn le.
That thief finally turned himself in.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

投tóuturn oneself in

“投案” combines “投” for turning oneself in with “案” for the case, for surrendering to police.

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.

扌殳投

Meaning part形符xíngfú

扌Written in full as手shǒuhand

Sound part声符shēngfú

殳

殳shū投tóu

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

The left part 扌 shows a hand, and the right part 殳 gives the sound of the character.

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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