verb / noun HSK 5
to commit a crime · crime · criminal offense
Meaning
犯罪 refers to the act of committing a crime or breaking the law, as well as the crime itself. It is a formal, legal term used in both everyday conversation and official contexts to describe illegal activities that violate criminal law.
Usage
This word is commonly used in news reports, legal discussions, and formal speech. It often appears with modifiers describing the type or severity of crime. Less formal alternatives like 做坏事 (to do bad things) exist for everyday speech, but 犯罪 is the standard term when discussing legal matters.
Examples
- 01他因为犯罪被判入狱五年。.He was sentenced to five years in prison for committing a crime.
- 02政府采取了多种措施降低犯罪率。.The government has taken various measures to reduce the crime rate.
Characters
Measure words
- 起一起犯罪案件
- 宗一宗犯罪
Common collocations
- 犯罪嫌疑人criminal suspect
- 犯罪行为criminal behavior
- 犯罪率crime rate
- 严重犯罪serious crime
Antonyms
Origin
Both characters relate to wrongdoing: 犯 originally depicted a dog (犬) violating boundaries, while 罪 combines net (罒) and wrong (非), suggesting being caught in wrongdoing.