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罪犯 (zuì fàn) — criminal

Definition

罪犯 (zuìfàn) is the standard, neutral legal term for 'a criminal' — a person convicted of or charged with a 罪 (crime). Broader and more formal than 歹徒 ('gangster/evildoer'); contrasted with 受害人, the victim.

noun
criminal
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 罪犯。
    Fǎ guān duì zuì fàn pàn le shí nián yǒu qī tú xíng.
    The judge sentenced the criminal to ten years in prison.
  • 罪犯，。
    zuì fàn Xū yào jiē shòu gǎi zào, chóng xīn zuò rén.
    The criminal needs to undergo rehabilitation and start a new life.
  • 罪犯。
    Shè qū bāng zhù zuì fàn zhǎo le yí fèn gōng zuò.
    The community helped the criminal find a job.

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.

罪zuìcrime
犯fànoffender

罪 names the crime, 犯 names the offender; together they mean a criminal.

Characters in this word

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 →

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 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9HSK 2.0 Level 5Crime & Police2000 Most Frequent Chinese Words3000 Most Frequent Chinese Words5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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