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捉奸 (zhuō jiān) — to catch (someone) in the act of adultery

Definition

A set phrase meaning to catch someone in the act of adultery, usually a spouse. 捉 highlights the catching/trapping action, not the infidelity itself.

verb
to catch (someone) in the act of adultery

Examples

  • ，捉奸。
    Tā huái yí qī zi yǒu wài yù, yú shì zhǎo péng you bāng máng zhuō jiān.
    He suspected his wife was having an affair, so he asked friends to help catch them in the act.
  • 捉奸。
    zhuō jiān Zhè zhǒng shì xū yào xiǎo xīn chǔ lǐ.
    This kind of catch-adultery situation needs to be handled carefully.
  • 。
    Tā zhuō le nà liǎng gè rén de jiān.
    He caught those two people in the act of adultery.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

捉zhuōcatch
奸jiānadultery

捉 (catch) and 奸 (adultery) mean catching adultery in the act.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
扌Written in full as手shǒu
Sound part声符shēngfú
足
足zú捉zhuō
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

捉 pairs 扌, the hand form of 手, with 足, which gives the character its sound.

Open 捉 →

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

Meaning part形符xíngfú
女女nǚ
Sound part声符shēngfú
干
干gān奸jiān
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

奸 is written with 女 (woman) on the left and 干 on the right; the evidence says 干 gives the sound and 女 marks the meaning.

Open 奸 →
Appears in
Crime & PoliceRomance & Marriage

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