Meaning of 犯罪
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- to commit a crime
- crime; offense
How to use 犯罪
犯罪 works both as a verb and as a noun, and it is common in news, law, and formal speech. As a noun it often appears in phrases like 犯罪行为 (fànzuì xíngwéi, criminal behavior). Example: 他因为犯罪被抓了。(Tā yīnwèi fànzuì bèi zhuā le.) He was arrested for committing a crime.
犯 (fàn) means to violate or commit, and 罪 (zuì) means a crime or guilt. Put them together and you get "to commit a crime," which can also stand for the crime itself.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 犯罪 (fànzuì, to commit a crime) with 罪犯 (zuìfàn, criminal). The same two characters in reverse order give you the person, not the act. Also, 犯罪 is for serious legal crimes. For breaking rules in sports or games, use 犯规 (fànguī).
犯罪 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
犯 fàn · to violate · 5 strokes
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罪 zuì · guilt · 13 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 犯罪.
| 罪恶 | zuì'è | crime; evil |
| 侵犯 | qīnfàn | to infringe on; to encroach on |
| 犯规 | fànguī | to break the rules; an illegality |
| 罪犯 | zuìfàn | criminal |
| 囚犯 | qiúfàn | prisoner; convict |
| 冒犯 | màofàn | to offend |
| 得罪 | dézuì | to commit an offense; to violate the law |
| 触犯 | chùfàn | to violate; to offend |
| 罪魁祸首 | zuìkuí-huòshǒu | (idiom) criminal ringleader; main offender; main culprit; main cause of a disaster |
| 犯愁 | fànchóu | to worry; to be anxious |
| 犯人 | fànrén | convict; prisoner |
| 有罪 | yǒuzuì | guilty |
Questions about 犯罪
What does 犯罪 mean?
犯罪 (fànzuì) means "to commit a crime; crime; offense".
How do you write 犯罪?
犯罪 is made of 2 characters: 犯 (5 strokes), 罪 (13 strokes). That is 18 strokes in total.
Is 犯罪 an HSK word?
Yes. 犯罪 is on the HSK 6 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
Can 犯罪 take an object, like 犯罪一个错误?
No. 犯罪 already contains its object, so it does not take another one. To say someone made a mistake, use 犯错误 (fàn cuòwù). To name a specific crime, use a phrase like 犯了盗窃罪 (fàn le dàoqiè zuì, committed theft).
What is the difference between 犯罪 and 罪恶?
犯罪 is a legal term for breaking the law. 罪恶 (zuì'è) is more moral and emotional and means evil or wickedness, as in 罪恶的行为 (an evil deed). A legal report would use 犯罪. 罪恶 is more typical of literary writing or moral judgment.