通奸罪 (tōng jiān zuì) — (legal term) the crime of adultery, adultery as a criminal offense

Definition

A formal legal noun: the criminal offense of adultery. Used in statutes, court rulings, and historical/legal discussion, not in everyday conversation.

noun
(legal term) the crime of adulteryadultery as a criminal offense

Examples

  • ，通奸罪。
    Zài mǒu xiē guó jiā, tōng jiān zuì réng rán shì yí xiàng xíng shì zuì míng.
    In some countries, adultery is still a criminal offense.
  • 通奸罪，。
    Zhè bù fǎ lǜ fèi chú le tōng jiān zuì, gǎi wéi mín shì péi cháng.
    This law abolished the crime of adultery and replaced it with civil compensation.
  • ，通奸罪。
    Lì shǐ shàng, tōng jiān zuì de xíng fá fēi cháng yán lì.
    Historically, the punishment for the crime of adultery was very severe.

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.

通奸adultery
通tōnghave relations奸jiānadultery
联合Side by side
罪zuìcrime

通 “have relations” and 奸 “adultery” give 通奸 “illicit sex”; 罪 “crime” 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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
辶Written in full as辵chuò
Sound part声符shēngfú
甬
甬yǒng通tōng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

通 pairs 辶, a part associated with movement, with 甬, which gives the sound.

Open 通 →

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
女女nǚ
Sound part声符shēngfú
干
干gān奸jiān
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

奸 is written with 女 (woman) on the left and 干 on the right; the evidence says 干 gives the sound and 女 marks the meaning.

Open 奸 →

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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