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窝藏 (wō cáng) — to harbor (a criminal); to shelter; to conceal (stolen goods)

Definition

窝藏 (wōcáng) is the legal term 'to harbor a criminal or conceal stolen goods' — a specific crime of helping offenders hide, not everyday 'hiding' like 藏.

verb
to harbor (a criminal)to shelterto conceal (stolen goods)

Examples

  • 窝藏。
    Tā yīn wèi wō cáng zài táo fàn bèi jǐng fāng dài bǔ le.
    He was arrested by the police for harboring a fugitive.
  • 窝藏。
    Nà ge zéi bǎ tōu lái de dōng xī wō cáng zài fèi qì de cāng kù lǐ.
    The thief hid the stolen goods in an abandoned warehouse.
  • 窝藏。
    Fǎ lǜ yán jìn wō cáng fàn zuì suǒ dé de cái wù.
    The law strictly forbids concealing property obtained through crime.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

窝wōto hide
藏cángto conceal

窝 (to hide) and 藏 (to conceal) combine to mean harbor or conceal.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 窩; 窝 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
穴穴xuécave
Sound part声符shēngfú
咼
咼wāi窩wō
Same sound today

The traditional form 窩 uses 穴, a cave, for meaning and 咼 for sound; the simplified 窝 is a later shorthand.

Open 窝 →

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
艸艸cǎograss
Sound part声符shēngfú
臧
臧zāng藏cáng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

藏 is made from 艸 (grass) and 臧, where 臧 gives the sound.

Open 藏 →
Appears in
Crime & Police

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