逮捕 (dài bǔ) — to arrest, to apprehend (a suspect)

Definition

逮捕 (dài bǔ) is the formal/legal verb for arresting a suspect — stronger and more official than 抓 ('to grab/catch') and 拿 ('to seize'), and used only with people in a criminal context.

verb
to arrestto apprehend (a suspect)

Examples

  • 逮捕。
    Nà ge táo fàn yǐ jīng bèi dài bǔ le.
    That fugitive has already been arrested.
  • 逮捕。
    Jǐng fāng lián yè dài bǔ le sān míng fàn zuì xián yí rén.
    The police arrested three criminal suspects overnight.
  • 。
    Zhí xíng dài bǔ lìng shí bì xū chū shì zhèng jiàn.
    You must show identification when executing an arrest warrant.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

逮dǎicatch
捕bǔcatch

Both 逮 and 捕 mean catching, so together they express a formal arrest.

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

逮 combines 辶, a movement-related part, with 隶, which supplies the sound.

Open 逮 →

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
扌Written in full as手shǒuhand
Sound part声符shēngfú
甫
甫fǔ捕bǔ
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

捕 uses 扌 (a hand, from 手) to show catching, and 甫 for the sound.

Open 捕 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9HSK 2.0 Level 6Crime & Police2000 Most Frequent Chinese Words3000 Most Frequent Chinese Words5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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