侵害

• Pinyin: qīn hài
• Hanzi breakdown: 侵 = 亻(person radical) + 帚 + 又 (a person sweeping forward — to encroach gradually); 害 = 宀 + 丰 + 口 (harm under a roof — injury, damage)

Meaning

To infringe upon; to violate or damage someone's rights, interests, or physical wellbeing through harmful action.

A formal legal and political term. Used to describe violations of rights (侵害权益 — infringe on rights and interests), harm to health (侵害身体健康 — harm physical health), or damage to intellectual property. Distinguished from 侵犯 (to infringe/violate) in that 侵害 emphasises the resulting harm or damage, while 侵犯 focuses on the violation of a boundary.

Examples

1. 平台未经授权使用创作者的作品，已构成对其著作权的侵害，法院已受理相关诉讼。 The platform used the creator’s work without authorization, infringing on the creator’s copyright, and the court has accepted the lawsuit.
2. 任何组织或个人均不得以任何形式侵害公民的合法权益，违者将依法追究法律责任。 No organization or individual may infringe upon citizens’ lawful rights and interests in any form; violators will be held legally accountable.
3. 长期暴露在高分贝噪音环境中会严重侵害工人的听力，雇主有责任采取防护措施。 Long-term exposure to high-decibel noise can seriously damage workers’ hearing, and employers have a responsibility to provide protective measures.

Usage Guide

Context: law, human rights, health

Tone: negative

Do Say

• 该平台在未取得版权授权的情况下大规模复制并传播原创音乐内容，已构成对众多音乐人著作权的严重侵害，相关行业协会已联合发起诉讼。(The platform reproduced and distributed original music content on a large scale without obtaining copyright authorisation, constituting serious infringement of the copyright of numerous musicians; the relevant industry associations have jointly filed a lawsuit.)
• 新出台的个人信息保护法明确规定，任何机构收集用户数据均须取得明确授权，否则视为侵害个人隐私权，将面临高额罚款。(The newly introduced personal information protection law clearly stipulates that any institution collecting user data must obtain explicit authorisation; failure to do so is regarded as an infringement of personal privacy rights and will be subject to substantial fines.)

Don't Say

• 他侵害了我的感情 — 侵害 is used for legal rights, health, or concrete interests; for emotional hurt use 伤害了我的感情 (hurt my feelings) or 让我很受伤 (it hurt me deeply)

Origin & History

侵 (to encroach/invade) + 害 (to harm/injure) — to encroach upon and cause harm

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal