Chinese word

抢劫

Pronunciation

Pinyinqiǎng jié

Meaning

  • verbrob

Example

昨天地铁上有人想要抢劫我。zuó tiān dì tiě shàng yǒu rén xiǎng yào qiǎng jié wǒ

Yesterday, someone tried to rob me on the subway.

Illustration for 抢劫 (rob)

More examples

昨夜一伙歹徒试图抢劫银行，但被巡逻警察当场制伏。zuó yè yì huǒ dǎi tú shì tú qiǎng jié yín háng dàn bèi xún luó jǐng chá dāng chǎng zhì fú

Last night, a group of thugs tried to rob a bank, but patrolling police officers subdued them on the spot.

Core concept

Property is taken through force or threats, with the victim's fear central to the act.

Common phrases

  • 抢劫银行qiǎng jié yín háng

    rob a bank

  • 持刀抢劫chí dāo qiǎng jié

    rob with a knife

  • 被抢劫bèi qiǎng jié

    be robbed

Similar words

抢qiǎng: Quickly taking something from someone by hand or force, often in casual speech.
抢夺qiǎng duó: Taking property or an opportunity by force or authority, often in formal written language.
偷窃tōu qiè: Secretly taking another person's property, usually without using violence.
劫持jié chí: Forcibly taking control of a person or vehicle and keeping them under control to achieve a goal.

Definition in Chinese

以暴力或威胁方式抢取他人财物，通常含有伤害或使用武器的成分。yǐ bào lì huò wēi xié fāng shì qiǎng qǔ tā rén cái wù tōng cháng hán yǒu shāng hài huò shǐ yòng wǔ qì de chéng fèn

Word origin

抢劫 (qiǎngjié, "rob") combines 抢 (qiǎng, "seize") + 劫 (jié, "plunder"), so the compound centers on taking property by force.

Usage tips

  • When the victim is the topic, Chinese often uses the passive pattern 被抢劫 (bèi qiǎngjié, "be robbed"), which places the affected person before the event.

Other meanings

  • robberynoun

Related words

  • 抢劫犯qiǎng jié fànrobbernoun
  • 抢劫罪qiǎng jié zuìrobberynoun
  • 抢劫未遂qiǎng jié wèi suìattempted robberynoun

Word lists with this word