诽谤罪 (fěi bàng zuì) — crime of slander; defamation (legal term)

Definition

Legal term for the crime of defamation — using a formal charge in court. Refers specifically to criminal (not civil) liability for false spoken or written statements that damage reputation.

noun
crime of slanderdefamation (legal term)

Examples

  • 诽谤罪。
    Tā bèi fǎ yuàn pàn dìng fàn yǒu fěi bàng zuì.
    He was found guilty of slander by the court.
  • 诽谤罪。
    Zhè tiáo fǎ lǜ duì fěi bàng zuì de chǔ fá hěn yán lì.
    This law imposes severe penalties for defamation.
  • 诽谤罪。
    Yuán gào yǐ fěi bàng zuì wèi yóu tí qǐ le sù sòng.
    The plaintiff filed a lawsuit on grounds of criminal defamation.

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.

诽谤slander
诽fěislander谤bàngdefame
联合Side by side
罪zuìcrime

诽谤 gives the act of slandering, and 罪 names the offense.

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 誹; 诽 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yán
Sound part声符shēngfú
非
非fēi誹fěi
Same sound today

The traditional form 誹 is made of 言, which is about speech, and 非, which gives the sound; the simplified 诽 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the historical pieces.

Open 诽 →

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 謗; 谤 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yánspeech; words
Sound part声符shēngfú
旁
旁páng謗bàng
Same sound today

The traditional form 謗 pairs 言 (speech) with 旁 to give the sound; the simplified 谤 is a later shorthand.

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 →

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