被告人

bèigàorén

noun #8,003

Measure Word

一名被告人 míng

Meanings

1 defendant
2 the accused

Characters

passive marker; to be (done to)

to tell; to accuse; to sue

The person who is accused — passive marker + accuse + person.

Examples

被告人有权为自己辩护。

Bèigàorén yǒu quán wèi zìjǐ biànhù.

The defendant has the right to defend themselves.

法官宣布被告人无罪。

Fǎguān xuānbù bèigàorén wúzuì.

The judge declared the defendant not guilty.

被告人拒绝回答问题。

Bèigàorén jùjué huídá wèntí.

The defendant refused to answer questions.

Tips

usage

被告人 is the formal legal term used in criminal cases. In civil cases, the term is simply 被告 (bèigào). 原告 (yuángào) means plaintiff.

grammar

被 here functions as the passive marker, making 告 (to accuse) into 'the one who is accused.' This 被 + verb + 人 pattern appears in many legal terms: 被害人 (victim), 被保险人 (the insured).

Stroke Order

被 bèi

告 gào

人 rén