thủ phạm
Definition
Noun: - Culprit, perpetrator: The person directly responsible for committing a crime or a wrongful act. This word specifically refers to the primary or direct agent of the offense.
Usage Examples
- Noun:
- Cảnh sát đã tìm ra thủ phạm vụ trộm. (The police have found the culprit of the theft.)
- Thủ phạm vụ tấn công đã đầu thú. (The perpetrator of the attack has surrendered.)
- Ai là thủ phạm chính trong vụ án này? (Who is the main culprit in this case?)
Advanced Usage
- "kẻ thủ phạm": This is a more explicit form, where "kẻ" emphasizes the person as the agent. It translates to "the culprit" or "the perpetrator."
- Kẻ thủ phạm đã bị bắt giữ. (The culprit has been arrested.)
- Used in legal, journalistic, and everyday contexts to identify the direct cause or responsible party, not just in criminal law but also metaphorically.
- Thủ phạm gây ô nhiễm không khí chính là khí thải từ các nhà máy. (The main culprit of air pollution is emissions from factories.)
Variants and Related Words
- Phạm nhân (noun): Convict; a person who has been convicted of a crime. This refers to the legal status after guilt is established, whereas refers to the agent of the act itself.
- Hung thủ (noun): Murderer, assassin; specifically refers to the perpetrator of a homicide.
- Tội phạm (noun): Criminal; a general term for a person who commits crimes.
Synonyms
- Kẻ gây án: The one who commits the crime.
- Người phạm tội: The offender.
Related Phrases
- Truy tìm thủ phạm: To hunt for the culprit.
- Công việc của cảnh sát là truy tìm thủ phạm. (The police's job is to hunt for the culprit.)
- Chỉ mặt đặt tên thủ phạm: To point out and name the culprit directly.
- Báo chí đã chỉ mặt đặt tên thủ phạm. (The press pointed out and named the culprit directly.)
Related Idioms
- "Thủ phạm đã lộ mặt": Literally "the culprit has shown their face," meaning the responsible party has been revealed or identified.
- Sau cuộc điều tra, thủ phạm đã lộ mặt. (After the investigation, the culprit has been revealed.)
noun
-
culprit
