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示众 (shì zhòng) — to publicly expose (as a form of punishment or humiliation)

Definition

A verb meaning to publicly expose someone as punishment or humiliation, often by parading them before a crowd. Stronger and more dramatic than a plain '公开' — it implies deliberate shaming, not just visibility.

verb
to publicly expose (as a form of punishment or humiliation)

Examples

  • 示众。
    Tā men jué dìng bǎ fàn rén lā chū qù shì zhòng.
    They decided to take the prisoner out and expose him to the public.
  • ，。
    Tā men shì le yì tiān de zhòng, wéi guān de rén hěn duō.
    They exposed him for a whole day, and many people gathered to watch.
  • 示众。
    Zhè zhǒng gōng kāi shì zhòng de zuò fǎ zài xiàn dài shè huì yǐ jīng hěn shǎo jiàn le.
    This kind of public exposure is rarely seen in modern society.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

示shìdisplay
众zhòngcrowd

示 means to display, and 众 means the crowd; the action is displaying something to a crowd.

Characters in this word

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

示 began as a drawing of an altar. Extra strokes were added to keep it distinct from unrelated old forms.

Open 示 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 眾; 众 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 眾 shows three people under a sun-like shape, meaning a crowd gathered under the sun; the simplified 众 is a later shorthand.

Open 众 →
Appears in
Crime & PoliceSociety & Public Life

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