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翻案 (fān àn) — to reverse a legal verdict; to present different views on a historical person or event (to overturn a historical judgment)

Definition

翻案 (fān àn) means to overturn a judgment — either a court verdict or a settled historical/figurative assessment. In a historical context it implies re-evaluating someone long judged negatively, often in their favor.

verb
to reverse a legal verdictto present different views on a historical person or event (to overturn a historical judgment)

Examples

  • 翻案。
    Lǜ shī nǔ lì wèi zhè ge àn zi fān àn.
    The lawyer worked hard to reverse the verdict for this case.
  • 翻案，。
    Nà bù diàn shì jù shì tú wèi cáo cāo fān àn, bǎ tā sù zào chéng yīng xióng.
    That TV series tries to re-evaluate Cao Cao, portraying him as a hero.
  • ，。
    Tā fān le yí gè àn, yíng dé le guān si.
    He overturned a case and won the lawsuit.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

翻fānoverturn
案àncase

翻 'overturn' and 案 'case' together mean to reverse a legal verdict.

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
羽羽yǔwings
Sound part声符shēngfú
番
番fān翻fān
Same sound today

翻 pairs 羽 (wings) with 番, which gives the sound. The shape shows something fluttering.

Open 翻 →

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
木木mù
Sound part声符shēngfú
安
安ān案àn
Same sound today

案 pairs 木, a wood/tree shape, with 安, which is used for its sound.

Open 案 →
Appears in
HistoryLaw & Justice

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