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牵涉 (qiān shè) — to involve; to implicate

Definition

牵涉 means 'to involve / implicate', usually in something negative (a scandal, case, trouble). Close in meaning to 牵扯 and 卷入, but 牵涉 sounds slightly more formal and often refers to a matter's scope rather than a person being dragged in.

verb
to involveto implicate

Examples

  • 牵涉。
    Zhè jiàn shì qiān shè dào gōng sī de shēng yù.
    This matter involves the company's reputation.
  • 牵涉。
    Tā bù xiǎng bèi qiān shè jìn zhè ge má fan lǐ.
    He doesn't want to be implicated in this trouble.
  • 牵涉。
    Zhè ge àn jiàn qiān shè le hěn duō guān yuán.
    This case involved many officials.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

牵qiānpull; involve
涉shètouch; involve

牵 and 涉 both mean pulling in or touching something, together expressing involvement.

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 牽; 牵 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
牛牛niúcow, ox
Sound part声符shēngfú
玄
玄xuán牽qiān
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 牽 is built from 玄 and 牛, an ox, giving the picture of leading an ox by hand. The simplified 牵 is a later shorthand.

Open 牵 →

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 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Abstract Concepts

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