报警 (bào jǐng) — to call the police (to report an emergency or i…

Definition

报警 means calling the police to report an emergency (crime, fire, accident). Unlike 举报 (reporting wrongdoing to authorities) or 报案 (filing a case report), it emphasizes an urgent call for help.

verb

to call the police (to report an emergency or incident)

Examples

，报警。
Zuó tiān wǒ jiā bèi tōu le, wǒ gǎn jǐn bào jǐng le.
Yesterday my house was burglarized, and I quickly called the police.
，。
Tā bào guò liǎng cì jǐng, dàn jǐng chá dōu méi lái.
He has called the police twice, but the police didn't come either time.
报警。
Fā xiàn huǒ zāi yí dìng yào mǎ shàng bào jǐng.
If you discover a fire, you must immediately call the police.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

报bàoreport

警jǐngalarm

报警 combines 报 (report) and 警 (alarm) to mean sound an alarm.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 報; 报 is its simplified writing.

㚔㚔㚔handcuffs
𠬝𠬝𠬝to subdue

The traditional form 報 puts 㚔 (handcuffs) beside 𠬝 (to subdue), showing someone restrained and subdued, as in convicting or punishing a guilty person. The simplified 报 is a later shorthand.

Open 报 →

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

敬言警

Meaning part形符xíngfú

言言yánspoken language, speech

Sound part声符shēngfú

敬

敬jìng警

Same sound today

警 places 言 (speech) below 敬; 敬 gives the sound.

Open 警 →

Appears in