犯上 (fàn shǎng) — to offend or go against one's superiors (in a hierarchical relationship)

Definition

A formal/literary verb meaning to defy or offend one's superiors. Almost always appears in fixed phrases like 大逆不道 or with 敢/不敢, not in everyday speech.

verb
to offend or go against one's superiors (in a hierarchical relationship)
Easily confused

Examples

  • ，。
    Tā fàn le shàng, bèi lǎo bǎn pī píng le.
    He offended his superior and was criticized by the boss.
  • ，犯上。
    Zài gǔ dài, fàn shǎng shì dà nì bú dào de xíng wéi.
    In ancient times, offending one's superiors was a heinous act.
  • 犯上，。
    Tā bù gǎn fàn shǎng, zhǐ hǎo rěn qì tūn shēng.
    He didn't dare to go against his superior and had to swallow his pride.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

犯fànoffend
上shàngsuperior

To 犯 is to offend or violate those 上, one's superiors.

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
犬犬quǎn
Sound part声符shēngfú
𢎘
𢎘𢎘犯fàn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

犯 combines 犬 and 𢎘: 犬 gives the meaning, and 𢎘 gives the sound.

Open 犯 →

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

上 is drawn as a short horizontal line placed above a longer arc, marking a position above that arc.

Open 上 →

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