缉 (jī): to seize; to arrest

Meanings

1 to seize; to arrest
2 to search for and apprehend

Characters

缉

jī

to seize; to arrest

Examples

警方正在缉拿逃犯。

Jǐngfāng zhèngzài jīná táofàn.

The police are hunting for the fugitive.

缉毒警察的工作非常危险。

Jīdú jǐngchá de gōngzuò fēicháng wēixiǎn.

The work of narcotics police is very dangerous.

Tips

usage

缉 is a formal/legal term almost always seen in compounds: 缉拿 (to arrest), 缉毒 (to combat drug trafficking), 通缉 (to issue a wanted notice). Rarely used alone in modern Chinese.

Components

radical

纟 sī

silk (left radical form of 糸)

Left silk radical, the side-form of 糸 — three condensed strands of hanging silk thread. The original sense of 缉 was 'to twist threads together,' a rope-making verb. The modern senses 'pursue, arrest' came from the metaphor of tying up a fugitive. Family: 织, 纺, 绑, 续.

phonetic

咠 qì

to whisper (here phonetic)

Right 咠 supplies the sound, drifting qì → jī through sibilant alternation. 咠 itself (mouth + ear) means 'to whisper.' Semantic echo: 缉 in its 'investigate, arrest' sense (通缉 wanted by police) involves whispered tips and quiet pursuit. Same phonetic in 辑, 楫.