确凿

• Pinyin: què záo
• Hanzi breakdown: 确 = 石 + 角 (stone + horn — solid certainty); 凿 = 丵 + 凵 + 斤 (chisel striking a surface — undeniably real)

Meaning

Conclusive; irrefutable; solid and verifiable. Almost exclusively modifies 证据 (evidence) or related nouns meaning proof, facts, or grounds.

A formal legal and investigative term. 证据确凿 (evidence is conclusive) is a set legal phrase. Rarely used outside forensic, judicial, or official contexts. The character 凿 (to chisel) conveys the sense of something carved solid and undeniable.

Examples

1. 检察院在庭审中出示了确凿的物证和书证，使被告当庭无从抵赖。 During the trial, the prosecutor presented conclusive physical evidence and documentary evidence, leaving the defendant with no way to deny it in court.
2. 在证据确凿的情况下，合议庭依法作出了有罪判决，并当庭宣读了判决书。 With the evidence irrefutable, the judicial panel issued a guilty verdict in accordance with the law and read the judgment aloud in court.
3. 没有确凿的事实依据，任何指控都只不过是毫无根据的主观猜测。 Without solid factual grounds, any accusation is nothing more than baseless speculation.

Usage Guide

Context: legal, judicial, investigative

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 只有在掌握确凿证据之后，警方才能依法对涉案嫌疑人实施正式逮捕。(Only after obtaining conclusive evidence may the police carry out a formal arrest of the suspect involved in the case in accordance with the law.)
• 这起腐败案件证据确凿，涉案官员最终被依法判处十二年有期徒刑。(The evidence in this corruption case was conclusive, and the official involved was ultimately sentenced to twelve years in prison in accordance with the law.)

Don't Say

• 他的理由确凿 — use 他的理由充分 or 他的论据站得住脚; 确凿 collocates almost exclusively with 证据 (evidence) and cannot freely modify 理由 (reasons)

Origin & History

确 (firm/certain) + 凿 (chisel/solid) — as solid and real as something chiselled into stone

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal