TongTong
Sign in

嫌疑犯 (xián yí fàn) — suspect (in a crime)

Definition

noun
suspect (in a crime)
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 嫌疑犯。
    Jǐng fāng zhèng zài shěn wèn nà míng xián yí fàn.
    The police are interrogating the suspect.
  • 嫌疑犯。
    xián yí fàn Zài fǎ tíng shàng fǒu rèn le suǒ yǒu zhǐ kòng.
    The suspect denied all accusations in court.
  • 嫌疑犯。
    Bào dào chēng zhè míng xián yí fàn yǐ jīng qián táo duō rì.
    The report says the suspect has been on the run for days.

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.

嫌疑suspicion
嫌xiánsuspicion疑yídoubt
联合Coordinate
犯fànoffender

嫌疑 means suspicion and 犯 means offender, so a suspected 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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
女女nǚwoman
Sound part声符shēngfú
兼
兼jiān嫌xián
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The left part 女 connects the character to women, while the right part 兼 gives its sound.

Open 嫌 →

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

  • 大大dàstanding human figure
  • 夂夂zhǐtilted head with open mouth
  • 丨丨gǔncane

疑 depicts a standing figure 大 with a tilted, open-mouthed head 夂 and a cane 丨, a confused person looking around for direction.

Open 疑 →

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 & Police5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.