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初犯 (chū fàn) — (noun) first offense (the crime); (noun) first offender (the person)

Definition

A legal term for a 'first offense' (the crime) or 'first offender' (the person). Often contrasted with 累犯 (repeat offender), as the law treats them differently.

noun
first offense (the crime)first offender (the person)

Examples

  • 初犯，。
    Zhè shì tā de chū fàn, suǒ yǐ fǎ yuàn cóng qīng chǔ fá.
    This is his first offense, so the court gave a lighter sentence.
  • 初犯，。
    Zuò wéi yí gè chū fàn, tā dé dào le huǎn xíng de jī huì.
    As a first offender, he was given the chance of probation.
  • 初犯。
    Fǎ lǜ duì chū fàn hé lèi fàn de chǔ lǐ fāng shì bù tóng.
    The law treats first offenders and repeat offenders differently.

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.

初chūfirst
犯fànoffense

初 means first and 犯 means offense or offender, so the whole denotes a first offense or first offender.

Characters in this word

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

初 combines 衤 (clothes) and 刀 (knife), showing the start of making clothes by cutting cloth.

Open 初 →

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
犬犬quǎn
Sound part声符shēngfú
𢎘
𢎘𢎘犯fàn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

犯 combines 犬 and 𢎘: 犬 gives the meaning, and 𢎘 gives the sound.

Open 犯 →
Appears in
Crime & Police

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