招供 (zhāo gōng) — to confess (a crime, under interrogation) | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

A formal, legal term meaning to confess a crime during police interrogation. Unlike 承认 (to admit or acknowledge in general), 招供 is restricted to criminal suspects confessing under questioning.

verb

to confess (a crime, under interrogation)

Examples

，招供。
Zài jǐng chá de shěn wèn xià, tā zhōng yú zhāo gōng le.
Under police interrogation, he finally confessed.
招供，。
Tā zhāo gōng yǐ hòu, àn jiàn hěn kuài jiù jié shù le.
After he confessed, the case was quickly resolved.
招供，。
Rú guǒ xiàn zài zhāo gōng, fǎ yuàn kě néng huì cóng qīng pàn xíng.
If you confess now, the court may give you a lighter sentence.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

招zhāoconfess

供gòngconfess

招 and 供 both mean to confess, so it expresses making a confession.

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.

扌召招

Meaning part形符xíngfú

扌Written in full as手shǒuhand

Sound part声符shēngfú

召

召zhào招zhāo

Same sound today

招 pairs 扌, the hand part, with 召, which gives the sound, to show beckoning with the hand.

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

亻共供

Meaning part形符xíngfú

亻Written in full as人rénperson

Sound part声符shēngfú

共

共gòng供gòng

Same sound today

供 is made of 亻, a person, and 共, which gives the sound gòng.

Appears in

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