虚报 (xū bào) — to make a false report (of something), to report falsely

Definition

虚报 means to deliberately report false information — for income, data, or results. It implies intent to deceive, unlike a simple mistake.

verb
to make a false report (of something)to report falsely

Examples

  • 虚报。
    Tā xū bào le zì jǐ de shōu rù.
    He falsely reported his income.
  • 虚报。
    Gōng sī yīn wèi xū bào shù jù bèi fá kuǎn le.
    The company was fined for falsifying data.
  • 虚报。
    Bú yào xū bào shí yàn jié guǒ.
    Don't falsify experimental results.

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.

虚xūfalse
报bàoreport

“虚” gives falseness and “报” is reporting, together mean report falsely.

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 虛; 虚 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
丘丘qiūhill
Sound part声符shēngfú
虍
虍hū虛xū
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 虛 pairs the upper 虍, which gives the sound, with a lower part shaped like 丘, 'hill'; the simplified 虚 is a later shorthand.

Open 虚 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 報; 报 is its simplified writing.

  • 㚔㚔㚔handcuffs
  • 𠬝𠬝𠬝to subdue

The traditional form 報 puts 㚔 (handcuffs) beside 𠬝 (to subdue), showing someone restrained and subdued, as in convicting or punishing a guilty person. The simplified 报 is a later shorthand.

Open 报 →

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