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检察院 (jiǎn chá yuàn) — procuratorate; people's prosecutor's office (China)

Definition

State agency that handles criminal prosecution and supervises investigations — the 'prosecutor's office' in the Chinese legal system.

noun
procuratoratepeople's prosecutor's office (China)
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 检察院。
    jiǎn chá yuàn Fù zé shěn chá pī zhǔn dài bǔ hé tí qǐ gōng sù.
    The procuratorate is responsible for reviewing and approving arrests and initiating public prosecutions.
  • 检察院。
    Tā xiàng jiǎn chá yuàn jǔ bào le yì qǐ tān wū àn jiàn.
    He reported a corruption case to the procuratorate.
  • 检察院。
    Xīn xiū dìng de xíng shì sù sòng fǎ míng què le jiǎn chá yuàn de jiān dū zhí néng.
    The newly revised Criminal Procedure Law clarifies the supervisory functions of the procuratorate.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

检察inspect and observe
检jiǎninspect察cháobserve
联合Coordinate
院yuànoffice

检察院 names the 院 for 检察: an office that inspects and observes legal matters.

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 檢; 检 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
木木mù
Sound part声符shēngfú
僉
僉qiān檢jiǎn
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 檢 pairs 木 (wood) with 僉 as a sound part; it may originally have pictured a blade on top of a wooden spear. The simplified 检 is a later shorthand.

Open 检 →

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
宀宀miánroof
Sound part声符shēngfú
祭
祭jì察chá
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The shape 察 combines 宀, a roof, with 祭 as the sound part.

Open 察 →

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
阝Written in full as阜fù
Sound part声符shēngfú
完
完wán院yuàn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

院 is built from 阝, written in full as 阜, and 完, which gives the sound.

Open 院 →
Appears in
Law & Justice

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