Chinese word

嫌疑人

Pronunciation

Pinyinxián yí rén

Meaning

  • nounsuspect

Example

警方已经找到嫌疑人并带回讯问。jǐng fāng yǐ jīng zhǎo dào xián yí rén bìng dài huí xùn wèn

The police have found the suspect and brought them in for questioning.

Illustration for 嫌疑人 (suspect)

More examples

审讯嫌疑人后，警方发现了新的线索。shěn xùn xián yí rén hòu jǐng fāng fā xiàn le xīn de xiàn suǒ

After interrogating the suspect, the police found a new clue.

Core concept

A person who remains under official suspicion while an alleged offense is being investigated.

Common phrases

  • 嫌疑人落网xián yí rén luò wǎng

    suspect is caught

  • 审讯嫌疑人shěn xùn xián yí rén

    interrogate the suspect

  • 释放嫌疑人shì fàng xián yí rén

    release the suspect

Similar words

嫌疑犯xián yí fàn: A person suspected of a crime while the police investigate it.
犯人fàn rén: A person who has committed the crime being discussed.
被告bèi gào: A person accused in a court case.

Definition in Chinese

在司法语境中指被怀疑参与违法事件的人，常与“犯罪”连用构成“犯罪嫌疑人”。zài sī fǎ yǔ jìng zhōng zhǐ bèi huái yí cān yù wéi fǎ shì jiàn de rén cháng yǔ fàn zuì lián yòng gòu chéng fàn zuì xián yí rén

Word origin

嫌疑人 (xiányírén, "suspect") combines 嫌疑 (xiányí, "suspicion") with 人 (rén, "person"), naming the person who is the focus of that suspicion.

Usage tips

  • In Chinese news and police reports, this term preserves the difference between an allegation and a proven offense, so it does not by itself say that the person committed a crime.

Other meanings

  • suspicious individualnoun

Opposites

  • 无辜者wú gū zhěinnocent personnoun
  • 无罪者wú zuì zhěperson found not guiltynoun

Related words

Word lists with this word