赃

贓/贜

zāng

庄 + 贝

Definitions

zāng (noun) stolen goods; loot

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 贝 represents the meaning and 庄 represents the sound. Simplified form of 贓.

Semantic: 贝 Phonetic: 庄

About

The character 赃 (zāng) is a phono-semantic compound denoting stolen goods, bribes, or illicit wealth. Its left component, the cowrie shell radical 贝 (bèi), symbolizes money and valuables, providing the semantic core related to property. The right component, 庄 (zhuāng), serves as the phonetic element guiding pronunciation in the simplified form. The traditional version, 贓, pairs the unsimplified radical 貝 (bèi) with the phonetic component 臧 (zāng), which historically suggested storing or goodness. The character's meaning is confined to criminal proceeds, such as those from theft, embezzlement, or corruption, and does not extend to legitimate financial contexts.

Etymology Hide

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

警方发现了赃物。

Jǐngfāng fāxiàn le zāngwù.

The police discovered the stolen goods.

小偷藏起了赃物。

Xiǎotōu cángqǐ le zāngwù.

The thief hid the stolen goods.

赃款必须全部退回。

Zāngkuǎn bìxū quánbù tuìhuí.

The illicit money must be returned in full.

他因贪赃被判刑了。

Tā yīn tānzāng bèi pànxíng le.

He was sentenced for taking bribes.

检察官正在调查赃物的来源。

Jiǎncháguān zhèngzài diàochá zāngwù de láiyuán.

The prosecutor is investigating the source of the stolen goods.

追缴赃物是案件侦破的关键。

Zhuījiǎo zāngwù shì ànjiàn zhēnpò de guānjiàn.

Recovering the stolen goods is key to solving the case.

这些赃物非常贵重，必须妥善保管。

Zhèxiē zāngwù fēicháng guìzhòng, bìxū tuǒshàn bǎoguǎn.

These stolen goods are very valuable and must be properly kept.

通过赃款流向的分析，警方锁定了犯罪嫌疑人。

Tōngguò zāngkuǎn liúxiàng de fēnxī, jǐngfāng suǒdìng le fànzuì xiányírén.

Through the analysis of the flow of illicit funds, the police identified the suspect.

Related Characters

Component: 庄

Component: 贝

赃