物证

• Pinyin: wù zhèng
• Hanzi breakdown: 物 = 牛 + 勿 (material goods — things); 证 = 讠+ 正 (speech/language + correct/upright — to verify, evidence)

Meaning

Physical evidence; material evidence. Tangible objects used as evidence in legal or investigative proceedings.

A key term in Chinese criminal and civil law. Contrasted with 书证 (documentary evidence) and 证人证词 (witness testimony). The preservation and handling of 物证 is strictly regulated under Chinese criminal procedure law.

Examples

1. 侦查人员在案发现场提取了多件关键物证，并依照规定进行了妥善封存。 Investigators collected several key pieces of physical evidence at the crime scene and sealed them properly in accordance with regulations.
2. 法庭上，检察官向陪审成员逐一展示了案件的核心物证，以支持其指控立场。 In court, the prosecutor presented the jury with the case’s core physical evidence one by one to support the charges.
3. 物证管理室实行严格的出入登记制度，以防止证据遭到污染或篡改。 The evidence room follows a strict sign-in and sign-out system to prevent evidence from being contaminated or tampered with.

Usage Guide

Context: law, criminal investigation, judicial proceedings, forensics

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 在这起经济诈骗案中，公诉方提交的电子物证还原了资金流向，法院据此认定被告有罪。(In this economic fraud case, the electronic physical evidence submitted by the prosecution reconstructed the flow of funds, and the court found the defendant guilty based on it.)
• 刑事诉讼法规定，侦查机关收集和保管物证必须严格保全，避免污染损毁，否则可能不被采信。(The Criminal Procedure Law states that investigative agencies must strictly preserve physical evidence when collecting and storing it, to avoid contamination or damage, or it may not be accepted.)

Don't Say

• 物证 for documentary or testimonial evidence — use 书证 for documentary evidence and 证人证词 for witness statements; 物证 refers exclusively to tangible physical objects

Origin & History

物 (thing, material) + 证 (evidence, proof) — material proof; tangible evidence

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal