假冒

• Pinyin: jiǎ mào
• Hanzi breakdown: 假 = 亻 + 叚 (person + borrow/false); 冒 = 曰 + 目 (say + eye — brazenly pretending to be something one is not)

Meaning

To counterfeit; to fake; to pass off a person or product as genuine when it is not. Refers to impersonation of people or the production and sale of counterfeit goods.

Has both legal and commercial dimensions. 假冒伪劣 (fake and inferior goods) is a fixed phrase in consumer protection contexts. Can also refer to impersonating someone (假冒身份). A serious legal offence under Chinese law.

Examples

1. 市场监管部门近期查获了一批假冒知名品牌的劣质商品，涉案金额高达数百万元。 Market regulators recently seized a batch of shoddy goods counterfeiting well-known brands, involving hundreds of millions of yuan in value.
2. 该男子涉嫌假冒医生身份为患者诊治，已被警方依法逮捕并移送检察机关处理。 The man is suspected of impersonating a doctor to treat patients, and has been arrested and transferred to prosecutors for handling according to law.
3. 消费者在购买高档商品时应通过正规渠道核实真伪，以防止被假冒产品蒙骗。 When buying high-end goods, consumers should verify authenticity through legitimate channels to avoid being deceived by counterfeits.

Usage Guide

Context: law, commerce, consumer protection

Tone: serious

Do Say

• 随着电商迅速发展，假冒伪劣商品的网售渠道越来越隐蔽，消费者维权更难，监管部门亟须完善跨平台治理。(As e-commerce develops rapidly, online channels for counterfeit and shoddy goods have become more hidden, making it harder for consumers to defend their rights and forcing regulators to improve cross-platform governance.)
• 生产或销售假冒注册商标商品不仅严重损害了权利人的合法权益，也破坏了正常的市场竞争秩序，依法应当承担相应的民事与刑事法律责任。(Producing or selling goods that counterfeit registered trademarks not only seriously damages the legitimate rights and interests of rights holders but also undermines the normal order of market competition; those responsible shall bear corresponding civil and criminal legal liability in accordance with the law.)

Don't Say

• 假冒 always implies illegal intent. Do not confuse with 仿冒 (to imitate/copy, which may or may not be legal) or 仿制 (to manufacture a replica, which can be legal)

Origin & History

假 (false; fake) + 冒 (to impersonate; to pass off as; to risk)

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal