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自白书 (zì bái shū) — affidavit (written sworn statement); written confession (admission of wrongdoing or personal disclosure)

Definition

A 'confession' or sworn written statement — broader than a legal affidavit, covering personal admissions, artistic or literary disclosures, and criminal confessions. The '书' marks it as a formal written document.

noun
affidavit (written sworn statement)written confession (admission of wrongdoing or personal disclosure)
Measure word · 份

Examples

  • 自白书。
    Tā zài fǎ tíng shàng tí jiāo le yí fèn zì bái shū zuò wéi zhèng jù.
    He submitted an affidavit as evidence in court.
  • 自白书，。
    Xián yí rén zuì zhōng xiě xià le zì bái shū, chéng rèn le suǒ yǒu zuì xíng.
    The suspect eventually wrote a confession admitting to all crimes.
  • 自白书。
    Zhè běn zì bái shū jì lù le tā yì shēng de nèi xīn zhēng zhá.
    This written confession records his lifelong inner struggles.

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.

自白confession
自zìself白báistate
偏正Modifier + head
书shūdocument

“自白” (confession) and “书” (document) combine to mean a written confession.

Characters in this word

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

假借jiǎjièLater borrowed for its sound alone — the picture has nothing to do with today’s meaning.

自 originally drew a nose. It was borrowed purely for its sound to write 自, so the picture and the meaning are unrelated.

Open 自 →

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

白 is thought to picture either an acorn or a human head.

Open 白 →

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 書; 书 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
聿聿yùwriting brush
Sound part声符shēngfú
者
者zhě書shū
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 書 uses 聿, a writing brush, and 者 for its sound; the simplified 书 is a later shorthand.

Open 书 →
Appears in
Law & Justice

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