犯

• Pinyin: fàn
• Hanzi breakdown: 犯 = 犭 (dog) + 㔾 (phonetic) — trespassing like a dog

Meaning

To commit (a crime or mistake); to violate; to offend. Doing something wrong or against rules.

Versatile verb with several key uses: 犯错 (make a mistake), 犯法/犯罪 (commit a crime), 犯规 (violate rules), 犯病 (have an episode of illness). Can also mean 'to provoke' (犯得着 = worth provoking?). Related: 罪犯 (criminal), 犯人 (prisoner).

Examples

1. 他年轻的时候犯过一些错误，但后来都改正了。 He made some mistakes when he was young, but he corrected them all later.
2. 再犯同样的错误就不可原谅了。 Making the same mistake again is unforgivable.
3. 明知道违法还去做，这不是明摆着犯法吗？ Doing something you know is illegal — isn't that obviously breaking the law?

Usage Guide

Context: law, mistakes, everyday

Tone: serious

Do Say

• 人人都会犯错，重要的是从错误中学习。(Everyone makes mistakes; what matters is learning from them.)
• 犯这种错误太不应该了。(Making this kind of mistake is really unacceptable.)

Don't Say

• 把'犯'和'饭'发音混淆 (Don't confuse the pronunciation of 犯 (fàn, 4th tone) with 饭 (fàn, 4th tone) — same pronunciation but completely different characters)

Origin & History

Pictophonetic: 犭 (dog radical) + 㔾 (phonetic). The dog radical may relate to wild/aggressive behavior or trespassing like a stray dog.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal