Definitions

zāng (noun) stolen goods; loot

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound. Simplified form of .

Semantic: Phonetic:

About

The character for illicit goods or bribes, "赃", is etymologically constructed from the semantic component "贝", which historically represented shells used as currency and thus denotes wealth or valuables, combined with the phonetic and semantic component "庄", which in this context suggests a base or repository. Its traditional form, "贓", employs the more complex component "藏", meaning to hide or conceal, making the conceptual link to secretly stored ill-gotten gains even more explicit. Over time, the character's meaning has remained specifically focused on wealth obtained through corrupt or criminal means, such as theft or graft, without significant broadening or dilution, maintaining a direct connection between its compositional logic and its legal and moral implication.

Example Sentences Hide

警方发现了物。

Jǐngfāng fāxiàn le zāngwù.

The police discovered the stolen goods.

小偷藏起了物。

Xiǎotōu cángqǐ le zāngwù.

The thief hid the stolen goods.

款必须全部退回。

Zāngkuǎn bìxū quánbù tuìhuí.

The illicit money must be returned in full.

他因贪被判刑了。

Tā yīn tānzāng bèi pànxíng le.

He was sentenced for taking bribes.

检察官正在调查物的来源。

Jiǎncháguān zhèngzài diàochá zāngwù de láiyuán.

The prosecutor is investigating the source of the stolen goods.

追缴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.