在逃 (zài táo) — to be at large, to be on the run (of a criminal) | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

Used in police/legal contexts (e.g. 在逃犯, 在逃人员) to mean a suspect or criminal who has escaped and has not yet been caught. It is a fixed, formal collocation, not a verb you freely combine with other subjects.

verb

to be at largeto be on the run (of a criminal)

Examples

在逃。
Jǐng fāng zhèng zài zhuā yì míng zài táo de zuì fàn.
The police are arresting a criminal who is at large.
在逃。
Nà ge zài táo le shí nián de xián yí rén zhōng yú bèi zhuā le.
That suspect who was at large for ten years was finally caught.
在逃。
zài táo Rén yuán bāo kuò sān míng shā rén fàn.
The at-large individuals include three murderers.

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.

在 means in or at and 逃 means flee, giving the sense of being in a state of fleeing.

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.

才才cái
士士shì

The early form of 在 used 才 for its sound; a second sound part 士 was added later, and that 士 became the 土 seen in 在.

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

辶兆逃

Meaning part形符xíngfú

辶Written in full as辵chuòwalk

Sound part声符shēngfú

兆

兆zhào逃táo

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

逃 pairs 辶 (walk) with 兆, which gives the pronunciation.

Appears in

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