凶手

兇手

xiōngshǒu

noun HSK 6 #770

Meanings

Literally 'violent hand' — the person who committed a violent act.

警察终于抓到了凶手。

Jǐngchá zhōngyú zhuā dào le xiōngshǒu.

The police finally caught the murderer.

凶手至今仍然在逃。

Xiōngshǒu zhìjīn réngrán zàitáo.

The killer is still at large.

谁是凶手？

Shéi shì xiōngshǒu?

Who is the murderer?

usage

凶手 specifically refers to the perpetrator of a killing or violent crime. For a general criminal, use 罪犯 (zuìfàn). For a thief, use 小偷 (xiǎotōu).

凶 xiōng

手 shǒu