疑凶 (yí xiōng) — suspected murderer; suspected assailant

Definition

A formal/literary term for a 'suspected killer' used in police and courtroom reporting. It emphasizes that the person is only suspected, not convicted.

noun
suspected murderersuspected assailant
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 疑凶。
    Jǐng fāng zhèng zài quán lì zhuī bǔ zhè míng yí xiōng.
    The police are doing their utmost to hunt down this suspected murderer.
  • ，疑凶。
    Jù bào dǎo, yí xiōng yǐ jīng táo lí le běn shì.
    According to reports, the suspected assailant has already fled the city.
  • 疑凶。
    Fǎ tíng jiāng yú xià zhōu duì yí xiōng jìn xíng shěn pàn.
    The court will put the suspected murderer on trial next week.

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.

疑yísuspected
凶xiōngmurderer

The idea of suspicion with a murderer names a person believed to have committed violence.

Characters in this word

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

  • 大大dàstanding human figure
  • 夂夂zhǐtilted head with open mouth
  • 丨丨gǔncane

疑 depicts a standing figure 大 with a tilted, open-mouthed head 夂 and a cane 丨, a confused person looking around for direction.

Open 疑 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

凶 originally drew a hole with a lump of rock, mud, stone, or bamboo in it.

Open 凶 →

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