涉嫌

Allegedly or Suspected of

Level 6Sounds Like sip3 jim4

涉嫌 (sip3 jim4) is a formal term used in news and legal contexts to say someone is 'suspected of' a crime. It acts as a 'legal shield' to avoid defamation.

How It Works

In Cantonese, 涉嫌 (sip3 jim4) is a high-register term essential for understanding news reports (新聞語體) and legal documents.

1. Legal Hedging:
Its primary purpose is to maintain the 'presumption of innocence.' By using 涉嫌, a reporter or official describes a person's status relative to a crime without stating they actually committed it. For example, saying 'He stole' is a statement of fact, while 'He 涉嫌 stole' is a report of his legal suspicion.

2. Sentence Structure:
The pattern typically follows: [Subject] + 涉嫌 + [Crime/Action].

  • 佢涉嫌謀殺 (He is suspected of murder).
  • 警方調查一宗涉嫌虐待動物嘅案件 (Police are investigating a case of alleged animal abuse).

3. Register and Usage:
This is a Level 6 pattern because it belongs to the formal, written-style register. In daily life, if you suspect your friend ate your lunch, you would use 覺得 (feel) or 懷疑 (waai4 ji4 - suspect/doubt). Using 涉嫌 in a restaurant would sound like a mock-serious joke or robotic.

4. Grammatical Constraints:
Because 涉嫌 describes a legal state or status rather than a physical action, it does not usually take aspect markers like 咗 (zo2) or 緊 (gan2). The suspicion is the context, while the arrest or the crime itself carries the markers.

Examples (3)

  1. 佢涉嫌收受利益被廉署拘捕。

    He was arrested by the ICAC on suspicion of accepting bribes.

    Word by Word: He suspected-of receive benefits by ICAC arrested.

    Here, 涉嫌 (sip3 jim4) precedes the specific crime (accepting bribes) to describe the reason for the arrest.

  2. 警方正調查一宗涉嫌虐待動物嘅案件。

    The police are investigating a case involving the alleged abuse of animals.

    Word by Word: Police [progressive] investigate one [classifier] suspected-of abuse animal [possessive] case.

    In this example, 涉嫌 acts as a modifier for the type of case being investigated.

  3. 嗰名男子涉嫌同上星期嘅劫案有關。

    That man is suspected of being involved in last week's robbery.

    Word by Word: That [classifier] man suspected-of with last week [possessive] robbery related.

    涉嫌 is often paired with 有關 (jau5 gwaan1 - related to) to describe general involvement in a crime.

Common Mistakes

  • Using 涉嫌 in casual, non-criminal contexts.

    我涉嫌你偷咗我支筆。
    我懷疑你偷咗我支筆。

    涉嫌 (sip3 jim4) is for formal legal suspicion. For personal doubts or everyday suspicions, use 懷疑 (waai4 ji4).

  • Using 涉嫌 as a standalone noun for 'suspicion'.

    佢有好大涉嫌。
    佢有好大嫌疑。

    涉嫌 is a verb/adverb. If you need the noun 'suspicion,' use 嫌疑 (jim4 ji4).

  • Adding aspect markers like 咗 (zo2) to the word.

    佢涉嫌咗謀殺。
    佢涉嫌謀殺。

    涉嫌 describes a legal status, not a completed action. It does not need 咗 (zo2).

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

涉嫌Level 6Allegedly or Suspected of

Learn This First

涉嫌 (allegedly/suspected of) is a high-level formal term used in legal and news contexts. To use it correctly, learners should be familiar with the formal news register, basic Cantonese word order, and how to mark completed actions, as it often appears in reports about past incidents.

Words in This Pattern

涉嫌