劳改犯 (láo gǎi fàn) — prisoner serving a sentence of reform through labor; person sentenced to labor reform

Definition

A prisoner sentenced to reform through labor under China's 劳改 system, mainly used from the 1950s to 2000s. The term is historical and refers to the inmate serving that specific sentence, not ordinary prisoners (犯人) or convicts generally (罪犯).

noun
prisoner serving a sentence of reform through laborperson sentenced to labor reform
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 劳改犯。
    Nà ge láo gǎi fàn zài nóng chǎng lǐ láo dòng le shí nián.
    That prisoner served ten years of labor reform on the farm.
  • 劳改犯。
    Zhè bù diàn yǐng jiǎng shù le yí gè láo gǎi fàn de gù shi.
    This film tells the story of a labor-reform prisoner.
  • 劳改犯。
    Nà xiē láo gǎi fàn bèi gǎi zào hòu chóng xīn huí dào le shè huì.
    Those labor-reform prisoners were rehabilitated and returned to society.

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.

劳改reform through labor
劳láolabor改gǎireform
偏正Modifier + head
犯fànoffender

劳改 refers to reform through labor and 犯 means offender, together naming a labor-reform offender.

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 勞; 劳 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
力力lì
Sound part声符shēngfú
𬡤
𬡤𬡤勞láo
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 勞 uses 力 for the meaning and 𬡤 for the sound; the simplified 劳 is a later shortened shape.

Open 劳 →

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
攴攴pū
Sound part声符shēngfú
巳
巳sì改gǎi
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

An early form of 改 paired 巳 as a sound part with 攴 as a meaning part; the sound part later changed.

Open 改 →

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 →

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