Chinese word

贿赂

Pronunciation

Pinyinhuì lù

Meaning

  • nounbribe

Example

他因收受贿赂被抓了。tā yīn shōu shòu huì lù bèi zhuā le

He was arrested for accepting bribes.

Illustration for 贿赂 (bribe)

More examples

她被控向官员提供贿赂。tā bèi kòng xiàng guān yuán tí gōng huì lù

She was accused of offering a bribe to an official.

Core concept

A payment or valuable gift used to bend someone's decision for an improper gain.

Common phrases

  • 提供贿赂tí gōng huì lù

    offer a bribe

  • 收受贿赂shōu shòu huì lù

    accept bribes

  • 贿赂行为huì lù xíng wéi

    bribery

Similar words

贿款huì kuǎn: Money given as a bribe to gain an improper favor.
回扣huí kòu: Money secretly received from a deal for arranging it or granting a favor.
腐败fǔ bài: A state in which power is used dishonestly and wrongdoing spreads through an organization.
贪污tān wū: The dishonest taking of public money or assets for personal use from an official position.

Definition in Chinese

指向他人提供金钱或物品以换取非法利益的行为或该等给付，常见于司法、新闻等正式语境。zhǐ xiàng tā rén tí gōng jīn qián huò wù pǐn yǐ huàn qǔ fēi fǎ lì yì de xíng wéi huò gāi děng jǐ fù cháng jiàn yú sī fǎ xīn wén děng zhèng shì yǔ jìng

Word origin

贿 (huì, "wealth or goods") + 赂 (lù, "a gift of goods") forms a compound for goods given to obtain an improper advantage.

Usage tips

  • In news and legal reports, this word has a formal and strongly accusatory tone, so ordinary gifts should not be described with it unless an improper exchange is part of the meaning.

Other meanings

  • buy offverb
  • briberynoun

Opposites

Related words

  • 行贿xíng huìbribeverb
  • 受贿shòu huìaccept bribesverb
  • 贿赂罪huì lù zuìbribery offensenoun

Word lists with this word