TongTong
Sign in

涉嫌 (shè xián) — to be suspected of (a crime), to be a suspect in (a case)

Definition

涉嫌 means 'to be suspected of (a crime)' and is used in formal/legal contexts, typically with an offense as the object. Unlike 怀疑, it is not used for doubting a person or everyday suspicions.

verb
to be suspected of (a crime)to be a suspect in (a case)

Examples

  • 涉嫌。
    Tā shè xián tān wū gōng kuǎn.
    He is suspected of embezzling public funds.
  • 涉嫌。
    Zhè ge gōng sī shè xián fēi fǎ jí zī.
    This company is suspected of illegal fundraising.
  • 涉嫌。
    shè xián Rén yuán yǐ bèi jǐng fāng dài zǒu diào chá.
    The suspected person has been taken away by police for investigation.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

涉shèinvolve
嫌xiánsuspicion

涉 gives involve and 嫌 gives suspicion, hence be suspected.

Characters in this word

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

涉 combines 水 (water) and 步 (walk), showing someone walking through water.

Open 涉 →

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nǚwoman
Sound part声符shēngfú
兼
兼jiān嫌xián
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The left part 女 connects the character to women, while the right part 兼 gives its sound.

Open 嫌 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Crime & Police

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.