私通 (sī tōng) — to commit adultery; to have secret communication (with an enemy or foreign power)
Definition
Literary/formal verb with two unrelated senses: secret collusion with an enemy or foreign power, and adultery. In modern Chinese, 私通 (collusion) is most often used in political/legal contexts; for adultery, 通奸 is the neutral everyday term.
verb
to commit adulteryto have secret communication (with an enemy or foreign power)
Examples
- 私通。Tā yīn yǔ lín jū sī tōng bèi qī zi fā xiàn.He was discovered by his wife for committing adultery with a neighbor.
- 私通。Zhè wèi guān yuán bèi zhǐ kòng sī tōng wài dí.This official was accused of having secret communication with the enemy.
- 私通。Gǔ dài fǎ lǜ duì sī tōng de chǔ fá fēi cháng yán lì.Ancient laws imposed very severe punishments for adultery/secret communication.
Appears in
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