擒获 (qín huò) — to arrest (a suspect, criminal); to capture (an animal, enemy, or fugitive)

Definition

verb
to arrest (a suspect, criminal)to capture (an animal, enemy, or fugitive)

Examples

  • 擒获。
    Jǐng chá chéng gōng qín huò le nà ge xiǎo tōu.
    The police successfully arrested that thief.
  • ，擒获。
    Jīng guò sān tiān de sōu suǒ, tā men zhōng yú qín huò le táo zǒu de měng hǔ.
    After three days of searching, they finally captured the escaped tiger.
  • 擒获。
    Jǐng fāng zài biān jìng qín huò le sān míng zǒu sī fàn.
    The police captured three smugglers at the border.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

擒qíncapture
获huòobtain

Both 擒 and 获 express catching or obtaining, so together they mean to capture or arrest.

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
扌Written in full as手shǒu
Sound part声符shēngfú
禽
禽qín擒qín
Same sound today

The left part 扌 is a hand, written in full as 手, so the character shows an action done with the hand; the right part 禽 gives its sound.

Open 擒 →

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 獲; 获 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
犭Written in full as犬quǎndog
Sound part声符shēngfú
蒦
蒦huò獲huò
Same sound today

The traditional form 獲 combines 犭 (dog) with 蒦, a sound part, to show catching animals with a dog. The simplified 获 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the historical components.

Open 获 →

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