落网 (luò wǎng) — (of a criminal) to be captured, to be arrested | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

A formal term meaning a criminal is caught in the police net. Used mainly in news and reports — for everyday speech, say 抓住.

verb

(of a criminal) to be capturedto be arrested

Examples

落网。
Nà ge tōng jī fàn zhōng yú luò wǎng le.
That wanted criminal was finally captured.
。
Zhè ge tuán huǒ yǐ jīng luò guò sān cì wǎng le.
This gang has been captured three times.
，落网。
Jǐng fāng bù xià tiān luó dì wǎng, zuì fàn hěn kuài jiù luò wǎng le.
The police set up an inescapable dragnet, and the criminal was captured soon after.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

落 means fall and 网 is the net, so to fall into the net means to be captured.

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.

艹洛落

Meaning part形符xíngfú

艹Written in full as艸cǎo

Sound part声符shēngfú

洛

洛luò落luò

Same sound today

落 pairs 艹 with 洛; 洛 gives the sound, and 艹 relates to the meaning.

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 網; 网 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

糸糸mìrope

Sound part声符shēngfú

罔

罔wǎng網wǎng

Same sound today

The traditional form 網 pairs 糸 (rope) with 罔 to give the sound; the simplified 网 is a later shorthand.

Appears in

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