杀人越货 (shā rén yuè huò) — to kill someone and seize their goods; murder and plunder

Definition

A vivid literary idiom for cold-blooded violent robbery: 'kill a person, seize their goods.' Used in formal writing and legal/news contexts to describe murder committed during theft.

idiom
to kill someone and seize their goodsmurder and plunder

Examples

  • 杀人越货，。
    Gǔ dài tǔ fěi cháng cháng shā rén yuè huò, bǎi xìng kǔ bù kān yán.
    In ancient times, bandits often killed and plundered, causing unbearable suffering among the people.
  • 杀人越货。
    Zhè bù diàn yǐng jiǎng shù le yì huǒ qiáng dào shā rén yuè huò de gù shi.
    This movie tells a story about a gang of robbers who murdered and seized goods.
  • 杀人越货，。
    Tā men bèi zhǐ kòng shā rén yuè huò, zuì zhōng shòu dào le fǎ lǜ de yán chéng.
    They were accused of murder and plunder and were ultimately severely punished by law.

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.

杀人kill a person
杀shākill人rénperson
动宾Verb + object
越货rob goods
越yuèrob货huògoods
动宾Verb + object

杀人 (kill a person) and 越货 (rob goods) are paired to describe murder and robbery.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 殺; 杀 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 殺 comes from an old drawing of a boar impaled in the head, with 人 and 又 added to show a person doing the killing; the simplified 杀 is a later abbreviation.

Open 杀 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The shape of 人 shows a side view of a standing person, with an arm and a leg.

Open 人 →

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
走走zǒuto walk or run
Sound part声符shēngfú
戉
戉yuè越yuè
Same sound today

越 is built from 走 (to walk or run) and 戉 (which supplies the sound); the 走 part shows the idea of going over or crossing.

Open 越 →

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 貨; 货 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
貝貝bèishell, money
Sound part声符shēngfú
化
化huà貨huò
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 貨 pairs 化 (sound) with 貝 (shell, money) to write valuable goods; the simplified 货 is a shorthand.

Open 货 →

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