蓄谋 (xù móu) — to premeditate, to secretly scheme (often with… | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

A formal verb meaning 'to premeditate' — to plan something in advance and in secret, often for wrongdoing. Typically used in news, legal, and written contexts rather than everyday speech.

verb

to premeditateto secretly scheme (often with malicious intent)

Examples

蓄谋。
Zhè chǎng bào luàn shì yǒu rén xù móu yǐ jiǔ de.
This riot was long premeditated by someone.
蓄谋。
Tā xù móu yào xiàn hài zì jǐ de tóng shì.
He secretly schemed to frame his own colleague.
蓄谋。
Jǐng fāng fā xiàn zhè shì yì qǐ xù móu de fàn zuì.
The police discovered this was a premeditated crime.

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.

蓄xùpremeditated

'蓄' suggests a stored or premeditated intention and '谋' means to scheme, so the sense is to premeditate.

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.

艹畜蓄

Meaning part形符xíngfú

艹Written in full as艸cǎograss, plant

Sound part声符shēngfú

畜

Same sound today

The top 艹 shows plants, and the lower 畜 gives the sound; the character is about cultivating plants and storing grain.

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 謀; 谋 is its simplified writing.

言某謀

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

某

某mǒu謀móu

Same sound today

The traditional form 謀 uses 言 to show it relates to speech and 某 to show its sound; the simplified 谋 is a later shorthand.

Appears in

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