Meaning
犯 primarily means to commit an offense, break a rule, or violate a boundary. As a verb, it describes actions that transgress laws, social norms, or personal boundaries. As a noun, it refers to a person who commits such acts—a criminal or offender.
Usage
Commonly appears in compounds like 犯罪 (to commit a crime), 犯法 (to break the law), and 犯错 (to make a mistake). It's neutral to formal in register. When referring to people as 犯人 (criminal/prisoner), it carries a legal or punitive connotation. The verb usage often requires a direct object indicating what rule or boundary was violated.
Examples
- 01他因为犯法被警察抓住了。.He was caught by the police because he broke the law.
- 02每个人都会犯错，重要的是要从错误中学习。, .Everyone makes mistakes; what's important is to learn from them.
Measure words
- 个一个犯人
Common collocations
- 犯法to break the law
- 犯错to make a mistake
- 犯罪to commit a crime
- 明知故犯to knowingly violate (idiom)
Antonyms
Origin
The character 犯 consists of the dog radical 犭(犬) on the left, originally suggesting aggressive or transgressive animal behavior, combined with a phonetic component 㔾. This reflects the character's core meaning of transgression or violation.