受贿

• Pinyin: shòu huì
• Hanzi breakdown: 受 = 爪 + 冖 + 又 (hands passing something — to receive); 贿 = 贝 + 有 (valuables/money + to have — to have [ill-gotten] valuables; bribe)

Meaning

To accept bribes; to receive corrupt payments in exchange for the abuse of one's official position or authority.

A legal term for the act of accepting bribes. Typically applies to public officials, civil servants, judges, or anyone in a position of public trust. The complementary offence is 行贿 (to offer/give a bribe). Together they form 行贿受贿 (bribery — both giving and receiving). 受贿罪 is the specific criminal charge in the PRC Criminal Law. Distinct from 索贿 (to extort bribes — actively demanding them) and 腐败 (corruption — the broader systemic phenomenon).

Examples

1. 这名前官员在受贿案中被指控，任内通过中间人收受工程、职位和审批方面的贿赂。 The former official was accused in a bribery case and, while in office, used intermediaries to accept bribes involving projects, jobs, and approvals.
2. 研究显示，某些领域受贿高发，与权力过度集中、监督缺失和举报保护不健全密切相关。 Research shows that high bribery rates in some sectors are closely linked to overconcentrated power, weak oversight, and inadequate whistleblower protection.
3. 防范关键岗位人员受贿，不仅要严管利益申报和回避，还要靠轮岗、审计和举报奖励。 To prevent bribery by people in key posts, it is not enough to tighten conflict disclosure and recusal rules; rotation, audits, and whistleblower rewards are also needed.

Usage Guide

Context: law, anti-corruption, politics, compliance

Tone: serious

Do Say

• 起诉书列举了他任内多次受贿的事实，包括现金、证券和旅游费用，证据链完整。(The indictment listed repeated instances of bribery during his term, including cash, securities, and travel expenses, and the evidence chain was complete.)
• 遏制受贿不能只靠事后追诉，更要压缩裁量空间，留痕决策，并保证监督独立。(Curbing bribery cannot rely only on later prosecution; it also requires narrowing discretionary space, recording decisions, and ensuring independent oversight.)

Don't Say

• 受贿 when the subject is a private individual in a non-official capacity — use 收取回扣 (to collect kickbacks) or 接受好处 (to accept benefits/advantages) for non-official contexts; 受贿 in Chinese law specifically applies to public officials and those entrusted with public duties, and using it for private commercial corruption may be legally imprecise

Origin & History

受 (to receive; to accept) + 贿 (bribe; corrupt payment — 贝 money/valuables + 有 to have, suggesting having valuables improperly)

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal