贿

賄

huì

有 + 贝

Frequency#2569

Definitions

huì (verb,noun) bribe; to bribe

Etymology

To possess 有 wealth 贝

About

The character "贿", meaning bribe, originates from its traditional form "賄", structured with the radical "貝" symbolizing shell money or valuables and the phonetic component "有" indicating pronunciation. In classical Chinese, "賄" initially referred to wealth or property in a general sense, but over centuries its meaning narrowed to denote corrupt gifts or illicit payments, emphasizing the misuse of assets implied by the radical. The simplified form "贿" maintains this composition with "贝" as the radical, and the semantic shift from broad material goods to specific acts of corruption is evident in historical textual usage.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

他拒绝贿赂官员。

Tā jùjué huìlù guānyuán.

He refused to bribe the official.

贿赂是一种严重的罪行。

Huìlù shì yī zhǒng yánzhòng de zuìxíng.

Bribery is a serious crime.

那名官员因受贿被逮捕。

Nà míng guānyuán yīn shòuhuì bèi dàibǔ.

That official was arrested for taking bribes.

政府严厉打击行贿行为。

Zhèngfǔ yánlì dǎjí xínghuì xíngwéi.

The government severely cracks down on acts of bribery.

如果企图贿选，将会受到法律严惩。

Rúguǒ qǐtú huìxuǎn, jiāng huì shòudào fǎlǜ yánchéng.

If one attempts to bribe in an election, they will face severe legal punishment.

他行贿是为了获得那份合同。

Tā xínghuì shì wèile huòdé nà fèn hétong.

He bribed in order to obtain that contract.

这个腐败网络涉及巨额贿款。

Zhège fǔbài wǎngluò shèjí jù'é huìkuǎn.

This corruption network involves huge sums of bribery money.

抵制任何形式的贿络是公民的责任。

Dǐzhì rènhé xíngshì de huìluò shì gōngmín de zérèn.

Resisting bribery in any form is the duty of a citizen.

Related Characters

Component: 有

Component: 贝

贿