犯罪
fàn zuì · to commit a crime; crime
他因犯罪被警察逮捕了。
He was arrested by the police for committing a crime.
Chinese character · HSK 6
罪 (zuì) — “sin / crime”
The character is composed of a net (罒) above and 'wrong' (非) below; representing the net of justice catching wrongdoers.
Memory cue
The net (罒) of justice falls upon those who do wrong (非), ensuring no crime escapes.
Video mnemonic
Watch 罪 in motion
See the visual story unfold, then connect it to the words and sentences below.
Common ways to use 罪
罪 keeps its core sense of “crime” or “sin” in words about committing crimes, criminals, and moral evil; in 得罪, it forms the lexicalized verb “to offend” and is often unstressed.
罪犯
zuì fàn · criminal
警察很快抓住了那名罪犯。
The police quickly caught that criminal.
罪恶
zuì è · evil; wickedness; sin
这部小说描写了战争中的罪恶。
This novel depicts the evils of war.
得罪
dé zui · to offend someone
我不是故意得罪你的。
I didn’t mean to offend you.
Usage note: In everyday speech, 罪 is often unstressed here and becomes neutral-tone zui. Learn 得罪 together as “to offend,” not literally as “to get a crime.”
Inside the character
- 网 (net) — meaning component. A woven net — often marks nets, traps, or anything ensnaring.
- 非 (not / wrong) — meaning component. Often marks negation or acts as a sound piece in beginner words.
Where 罪 comes from
Originally written as 辠 (nose/self + bitter needle for tattooing criminals). Emperor Qin Shi Huang changed it to 罪 (net + wrong) because the original form looked too similar to his royal title '皇' (emperor).
Learn 罪 the visual way. InkSeal pairs every HSK 1–6
character with an illustration like this one, Common-use words and sentences,
component breakdowns, etymology, and recall-first review. The first 100
characters are free.
More characters: 西 (xī, west) · 针 (zhēn, needle) · 问 (wèn, to ask) — or browse the full character library.