Definition
自首 means to voluntarily turn yourself in to the police or justice and confess a crime — a legal act of surrender with the expectation of leniency. Unlike 投降 (tóu xiáng), which is surrendering in a military or combat sense, or 屈服 (qū fú), which means yielding to pressure or force, 自首 is specifically about admitting guilt to authorities.
verb
to turn oneself in (to the police/justice)to surrender and confess one's crime
Examples
- ,自首。Tā fàn le zuì, zuìhòu juédìng qù zì shǒu.He committed a crime and finally decided to turn himself in.
- 自首,。Jǐngfāng quàn tā jǐnzǎo zì shǒu, zhēngqǔ cóng qīng chǔlǐ.The police advised him to surrender as soon as possible to get a lighter punishment.
- 自首。zì shǒu shì fǎlǜ shàng cóng qīng chǔfá de zhòngyào tiáojiàn.Surrendering oneself is an important condition for a lighter sentence under the law.
Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.