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犯罪分子 (fàn zuì fèn zǐ) — criminal, offender

Definition

Literally 'crime + molecule/element', a formal term for 'criminal' or 'offender' — used in legal, journalistic, and official writing rather than casual speech.

noun
criminaloffender
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 犯罪分子。
    Zhè xiē fàn zuì fèn zǐ yǐ jīng bèi dài bǔ le.
    These criminals have been arrested.
  • 犯罪分子。
    Jǐng chá zhèng zài zhuī bǔ yì míng fàn zuì fèn zǐ.
    The police are pursuing a criminal.
  • 犯罪分子。
    Fǎ lǜ duì fàn zuì fèn zǐ de chéng fá shì hěn yán lì de.
    The law's punishment for criminals is very severe.

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.

犯罪commit crime
犯fàncommit罪zuìcrime
动宾Verb + object
分子member
分fēnmember/part子zǐsuffix

犯罪 'commit crime' describes the kind of 分子 'member', giving a criminal.

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
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 →

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

罪 puts 罒 (a net, written fully as 网) over 非 (mistake).

Open 罪 →

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

分 pairs 八 (to separate) with 刀 (knife), showing something cut apart with a knife.

Open 分 →

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

子 is drawn as a baby with a large head, arms stretched out, and legs wrapped in a blanket.

Open 子 →
Appears in
Crime & Police

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