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罪人 (zuì rén) — criminal, offender (formal/literary); sinner (religious or moral context)

Definition

Literary/formal term meaning 'sinner' or 'criminal.' In religious or moral writing it points to a wrongdoer who carries moral guilt (more literary than 犯人).

noun
criminaloffender (formal/literary)sinner (religious or moral context)
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • ，罪人。
    Zài zōng jiào gù shi zhōng, zuì rén xū yào chàn huǐ cái néng dé dào kuān shù.
    In religious stories, sinners need to repent to be forgiven.
  • 罪人，。
    Tā jué de zì jǐ shì gè zuì rén, nèi xīn fēi cháng tòng kǔ.
    He feels he is a sinner and is very distressed inside.
  • 罪人。
    Lì shǐ shàng de zuì rén wǎng wǎng bèi hòu rén tuò mà.
    Historical criminals are often reviled by later generations.

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.

罪zuìcrime or sin
人rénperson

罪 means crime or sin, 人 means person; together they denote a person who commits a crime or sin.

Characters in this word

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

罪 puts 罒 (a net, written fully as 网) over 非 (mistake).

Open 罪 →

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

The shape of 人 shows a side view of a standing person, with an arm and a leg.

Open 人 →
Appears in
Crime & PoliceReligion & Belief

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