绑票 (bǎng piào) — to kidnap (for ransom)

Definition

绑票 means 'to kidnap (someone) for ransom' — specifically for money, not other motives. The first character 绑 means 'to tie up'; in mainland usage it is often clipped to just 绑架 for kidnapping generally.

verb
to kidnap (for ransom)

Examples

  • 绑票。
    Dǎi tú bǎng piào le yí gè fù shāng de hái zi.
    The gangsters kidnapped a wealthy businessman's child.
  • ，。
    Tā men bǎng le liǎng cì piào, dōu hěn kuài bèi jǐng chá zhuā zhù le.
    They committed two kidnappings for ransom, but were caught by police both times.
  • 绑票。
    Zhè ge fàn zuì tuán huǒ zhuān mén cóng shì bǎng piào huó dòng.
    This criminal gang specializes in kidnapping for ransom.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

绑bǎngtie up / seize
票piàohostage

绑 means to tie up or seize, and 票 here means the hostage: the idea is seizing a person as a hostage.

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 綁; 绑 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
糸糸mìthin silk; thread
Sound part声符shēngfú
邦
邦bāng綁bǎng
Same sound today

The traditional form 綁 pairs 糸 (thin silk; thread) with 邦 (bāng), which gives the sound. The simplified 绑 is a later shorthand.

Open 绑 →

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

  • 火火huǒfire
  • 𢍱𢍱𢍱to rise high

票 combines 火 (fire) and 𢍱 (to rise high), originally representing sparks rising up.

Open 票 →

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