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遇害者 (yù hài zhě) — murder victim

Definition

Compound noun meaning someone killed in a violent or criminal attack, often translated as 'murder victim'. The suffix 者 marks a person in a specific state or role (cf. 受害者, broader 'victim' including accidents or disasters).

noun
murder victim
Measure word · 位

Examples

  • 遇害者。
    Jǐng chá zhèng zài diào chá zhè míng yù hài zhě de sǐ wáng yuán yīn.
    The police are investigating the cause of death of this murder victim.
  • 遇害者。
    Zhè wèi yù hài zhě de jiā rén fēi cháng shāng xīn.
    The family of this murder victim is very sad.
  • 遇害者。
    Xīn wén lǐ bào dào le sān míng yù hài zhě de shēn fèn.
    The news reported the identities of three murder victims.

Origin

Derived word
构词法gòucífǎ
后缀hòuzhuìSuffix

A fixed syllable at the end that turns the word into a noun, a person, a place or the like.

遇害suffer harm
遇yùmeet害hàiharm
动宾Verb + object
者zhěperson

遇害 describes suffering harm, and 者 gives the sense of the person involved.

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
禺
禺yú遇yù
Same sound today

遇 combines 辶, a walking-related part, with 禺, which gives the sound. The 辶 part shows that the meaning involves walking or moving.

Open 遇 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

假借jiǎjièLater borrowed for its sound alone — the picture has nothing to do with today’s meaning.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
宀宀mián
口口kǒu
Sound part声符shēngfú
丯
丯jiè害hài
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

害 was borrowed purely for its sound. Its old picture, possibly a house rafter, is unrelated to harm.

Open 害 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The form 者 originally drew a sugarcane with full stems, small points around it, and an open smiling mouth at the bottom.

Open 者 →
Appears in
Crime & Police

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