遗弃

• Pinyin: yí qì
• Hanzi breakdown: 遗 = 辶 + 贵 (movement + precious — leaving something behind); 弃 = 子 + 廾 + 其 (child + two hands + basket — ancient pictograph of abandoning a child)

Meaning

To abandon; to desert; to forsake. Refers to deliberately leaving behind a person, animal, or responsibility with no intention of returning.

A serious, often legally charged term. In law, 遗弃罪 (abandonment offence) covers deserting dependants. Applies to abandoned children, animals, spouses, and also property or beliefs. Carries strong moral condemnation. Stronger and more formal than 丢弃 (to discard objects) or 抛弃 (to cast aside — also used for relationships).

Examples

1. 当地动物救助协会近年来接收的被遗弃宠物数量持续攀升，收容所资源已严重超负荷。 In recent years, the local animal rescue association has taken in a steadily rising number of abandoned pets, and shelter resources are already badly overstretched.
2. 法院认定被告在妻子重病期间擅自出走、拒绝履行扶养义务，构成遗弃罪，依法判处有期徒刑。 The court found that the defendant left on his own during his wife's serious illness and refused to fulfill his support obligations, constituting the crime of abandonment, and sentenced him to a fixed-term prison sentence according to law.
3. 战后，大批遗弃在废墟中的儿童被国际救援组织接收，安置在临时孤儿院内等待进一步处置。 After the war, large numbers of children abandoned among the ruins were taken in by international relief organizations and placed in temporary orphanages to await further arrangements.

Usage Guide

Context: law, social issues, animal welfare, literature

Tone: critical

Do Say

• 调查发现，部分家庭在老人失能后以送养老院为名遗弃老人，不付护理费，也不探视，完全断了联系。(The investigation found that some families abandon elderly relatives after they become disabled, under the pretext of sending them to a nursing home, paying no care fees and making no visits.)
• 该企业在破产清算过程中，被发现将数百份含有客户个人信息的纸质档案随意遗弃在已清空的仓库中，涉嫌违反个人信息保护相关法规。(During bankruptcy liquidation proceedings, the company was found to have carelessly abandoned hundreds of paper files containing customers' personal information in an already vacated warehouse, suspected of violating regulations relating to personal information protection.)

Don't Say

• 我遗弃了那双旧鞋 — 遗弃 is reserved for persons, animals, or serious responsibilities; for discarding objects use 扔掉、丢弃、处理掉

Origin & History

遗 (to leave behind) + 弃 (to abandon/discard — 子 child + 廾 two hands + 其 basket, depicting a child being placed in a basket and discarded)

Cultural Context

Era: Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal