行贿 (xíng huì) — to bribe | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

To bribe someone (you are the one paying the bribe). It contrasts with 受贿, the verb for the official receiving the bribe.

verb

to bribe

行贿。
Tā yīn wèi xíng huì bèi pàn le sān nián.
He was sentenced to three years for bribery.
，。
Zhè ge guān yuán shōu le hěn duō qián, xíng guò yí cì huì.
This official took a lot of money — he committed bribery once.
行贿。
Bú yào xiàng zhèng fǔ gōng zuò rén yuán xíng huì.
Don't bribe government employees.

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

行 and 贿 combine to mean give a bribe.

Characters in this word

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

彳亍行

The shape of 行 originally showed a street intersection, even on both sides. Later it became uneven, with 彳 on the left and 亍 on the right.

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 賄; 贿 is its simplified writing.

貝有賄

Meaning part形符xíngfú

貝貝bèicowry; money

Sound part声符shēngfú

有

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 賄 pairs 貝 (cowry; money) with 有 as the sound part; the simplified 贿 keeps 有 on the right.

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