PARDON    宣判無罪赦

PUBLICISE, CONFORMING to LAW, AND USING OFFICIAL AUTHORITY, the DECISION that a PERSON is NOT to be PUNISHED for a CRIME of which he is ACCUSED OR GUILTY.
CLEAREXONERATEFIND INNOCENTABSOLVEDISCHARGERELEASEFREESET FREEINFORMAL LET OFF (THE HOOK)FORMAL EXCULPATE
Old Chinese Criteria
1. Shè 赦 (ant. zuì 罪 "hold criminally responsible") refers specifically and technically to the legal act of pardoning a convicted culprit. The word has no current competitors in this technical meaning. But see FORGIVE. 2. Shì 貰 is a rare word for a formal pardon.
Modern Chinese Criteria
饒 is the current colloquial word for letting someone off. 饒命 refers to acquitting someone guilty of a capital offence. 超生 focusses on the sparing of someone's life. 寬饒 refers formally to the legal act of acquitting a guilty person. 寬恕 focusses on leniency and forgiveness and a tendency to let off someone guilty of a crime. 饒恕 refers to acquitting someone out of a sense of fairness. 開恩 focusses on the display of generosity involved in acquitting a person. 留情 focusses on the element of sympathy shown for the person acquitted. 容情 focusses on the element of sympathetic tolerance shown for the person acquitted. 寬容 focusses on the element of leniency show in acquittal. 姑寬 (lit) refers to an excessive tendency to let people off. 姑息 (lit, arch) refers to indulgent lenience and failure to pursue the guilty. 手下留情 (prov) refers to elevated display of sympathy in acquitting a person. 筆下留情 (prov) focusses on the written act of acquittal out of sympathy. 筆下超生 (prov) focusses on the life-saving effect of acquittal. 從輕發落 (lit) refers to letting a culprit off lightly. rough draft to BEGIN TO identify synonym group members for analysis, based on CL etc. 18.11.2003. CH ／
Hyponym
  • AMNESTY　ACQUIT ALL of a certain CATEGORY of CRIMINALS by ONE ADMINISTRATIVE LEGAL ACTION.   (anc: 18/0, child: 0)
Antonym
  • PUNISHRESTRAIN OR DAMAGE a CULPRIT BECAUSE of his/her CRIMES.
See also
  • FORGIVEPROMISE someone one ASSUMES to be GUILTY of a CRIME OR MISTAKE which OFFENDS ONE so as to SAY that one WILL NOT HATE THAT PERSON BECAUSE of that CRIME OR MISTAKE.
  • FORGIVEPROMISE someone one ASSUMES to be GUILTY of a CRIME OR MISTAKE which OFFENDS ONE so as to SAY that one WILL NOT HATE THAT PERSON BECAUSE of that CRIME OR MISTAKE.
Hypernym
  • PUBLICISE　REPORT to ALL. (anc: 16/0, child: 2)
  • REPORT　ADDRESS others so as to CAUSE them to BECOME AWARE of a FACT. (anc: 15/0, child: 4)
  • ADDRESS　SPEAK OR WRITE INTENDING ANOTHER TO HEAR OR READ AND TO REACT to IT.  (anc: 14/0, child: 23)
Other Hypernyms
  • PUBLICISEnew-9e2c8ebd-69d6-48b0-ac8e-bd69d658b07f　REPORT to ALL. (anc: 15/2, child: 2)
  • REPORTnew-0e35828c-b50a-46dd-b582-8cb50aa6dda6　ADDRESS others so as to CAUSE them to BECOME AWARE of a FACT. (anc: 14/1, child: 4)
  • ADDRESSnew-b2b104ff-6112-4947-b104-ff611229470d　SPEAK OR WRITE INTENDING ANOTHER TO HEAR OR READ AND TO REACT to IT.  (anc: 13/0, child: 23)
  • A Dictionary of Selected Synonyms in the Principal Indo-European Languages ( BUCK 1988) p. 21.34

  • Vocabulaire européen des philosophies. Dictionnaire des intraduisibles ( CASSIN 2004) p. 893

  • De Rerum Humanarum Emendatione ( COMENIUS 1665) p. 450

    ABSOLVERE

    ...

    In specie, innocenter accusatum indemnem declarare. Reqv. 1. Culpa, seu vera seu insimulata 2. Actus ea cognoscens et solvens publica authoritate Subsequens libertas.

  • Lateinische Synonyme und Etymologien ( DOEDERLEIN 1840) p.

    CLEMENCY

    mansuetudo refers to the mildness and magnanimity of a private individual who does not take vengeance for a mortification suffered.

    clementia refers to the mercifulness and humanity or a ruler or a person in authority who does not inflict upon a malefactor the punishment which by right or by law he deserves.

  • 韓非子同義詞研究 ( HANFEI TONGYI 2004) p. 260

    • Words (20 items)

    赦  shè OC:  MC: ɕɣɛ 125 Attributions

    Shè 赦 (ant. zuì 罪 "hold criminally responsible") refers specifically and technically to the legal act of pardoning a convicted culprit.

      Word relations
    • Ant: 執/ARREST The current general word for arresting someone or apprehending him for any reason whatever is zhí 執 (ant. shì 釋 "set free"), but this term typically has a rather bureaucratic flavour. [CIVIL], [OFFICIAL]
    • Ant: 誅/PUNISH
    • Object: 罰/PENALTY The general word for a fine is fá 罰, and the word refers to fines of any kind.
    • Object: 罪/CRIME The current general word for a serious legal transgression is zuì 罪 (ant. gōng 功 "merit"), and the current general word for a minor legal transgression is guò 過 (ant. xiào 效 "positive contribution").
    • Contrast: 宥 / 侑/FORGIVE The most general current word for leniency and forgiveness is yòu 宥 (ant. kè 刻 "strict and ruthless").

      Syntactic words
    • nabactact of pardoning, pardon
    • nabactbeing pardoned> being forgiven or set free; pardon
    • vt(oN)pardon the contextually determinate person(s)
    • vt+prep+NN=abstractpardon (crimes etc)
    • vt[oN]pardon any culprits
    • vtoNN=humanHF 4.2.95: to pardon (someone condemned to a severe form of punishment)
    • vtoNN=nonhupardon (a crime)
    • vtoNpassivebe forgiven, be pardoned; also: be aquited because not guilty
    免  miǎn OC: mronʔ MC: miɛn 9 Attributions

    Miǎn 免 refers to an administrative act allowing a culprit to avoid being punished for his crime.

      Word relations
    • Object: 罪/CRIME The current general word for a serious legal transgression is zuì 罪 (ant. gōng 功 "merit"), and the current general word for a minor legal transgression is guò 過 (ant. xiào 效 "positive contribution").

      Syntactic words
    • vtoNlet off
    • vtoNpassivebe acquitted, be set free
    • vtt(oN1.)+N2pardon N1 for the crime N2
    • vttoN1.+N2pardon the culprit N1 for the crimes N2
    舍  shě OC: lʰaʔ MC: ɕɣɛ
    捨  shě OC: lʰaʔ MC: ɕɣɛ 8 Attributions

    Shě 捨/舍 refers to an administrative act of dismissing a legal case against a culprit or dismissing a culprit from detention for a crime he has committed.

      Syntactic words
    • vt[oN]let the contextually determinate person off
    • vtoNlet off and forgive; forgive (a crime); spare
    肆  sì OC: plils MC: si 3 Attributions

    Sì 肆 is a very literary word referring to an administrative act of allowing a culprit to go free and not be punished for his crime.

      Syntactic words
    • vtoNforgive; declare an amnesty for
    除  chú MC: drjo OC: rla 2 Attributions
      Syntactic words
    • vtoNpassivebe pardoned; be forgiven (person or crime)CH
    救赦  jiù shè OC: kus MC: kɨu ɕɣɛ 2 Attributions
      Syntactic words
    • VPt[oN]let people off, pardon culprits
    • VPtoNlet off; acquit
    不誅  bù zhū OC: pɯʔ to MC: pi̯ut ʈi̯o 2 Attributions
      Syntactic words
    • VPtoNpardon [I enter this item just in order to illustrate some aspects of pardon and forgiveness in classical Chinese. One might well have left this out of a dictionary with different intellectual purposes.]
    寬赦  kuān shè OC: khoon MC: khʷɑn ɕɣɛ 1 Attribution
      Syntactic words
    • VPtoNpardon
    除罪  chú zuì OC: rla sbuulʔ MC: ɖi̯ɤ dzuo̝i 1 Attribution
      Syntactic words
    • VPtoNremove the crimes of> acquit
    寬饒  kuān ráo OC: khoon nɢjew MC: khʷɑn ȵiɛu 1 Attribution
      Syntactic words
    • VPt[oN]be lenient with people
    • VPtoNbe lenient with and acquit
    釋去  shì qù OC: lʰaɡ khaʔ MC: ɕiɛk khi̯ɤ 1 Attribution
      Syntactic words
    • VPtoNset free; release
    相饒  xiāng ráo OC: sqaŋ nɢjew MC: si̯ɐŋ ȵiɛu 0 Attributions
      Syntactic words
    • VPtoNpardon 朱熹
    擔免  dān miǎn OC: k-laam mronʔ MC: tɑm miɛn 0 Attributions
      Syntactic words
    • VPtoNpardon XIXIANGJI 西廂記
    饒赦  ráo shè OC: nɢjew MC: ȵiɛu ɕɣɛ 0 Attributions
      Syntactic words
    • VPtoNpardon （Modern Chinese）
    容貸  róng dài OC: k-loŋ lʰɯɯɡs MC: ji̯oŋ thəi 0 Attributions
      Syntactic words
    • VPtoNpardon HOUHANSHU
    赦貸  shè dài OC: lʰɯɯɡs MC: ɕɣɛ thəi 0 Attributions
      Syntactic words
    • VPtoNpardon 宋史
    超豁  chāo huò OC: khrlew qhʷaad MC: ʈhiɛu hʷɑt 0 Attributions
      Syntactic words
    • VPtoNpardon (Ming dynasty)
    擔饒  dān ráo OC: k-laam nɢjew MC: tɑm ȵiɛu 0 Attributions
      Syntactic words
    • VPtoNpardon 西廂記
    恕免  shù miǎn OC: hnjas mronʔ MC: ɕi̯ɤ miɛn 0 Attributions
      Syntactic words
    • VPtoNpardon 元曲
    赦恕  shè shù OC: hnjas MC: ɕɣɛ ɕi̯ɤ 0 Attributions
      Syntactic words
    • VPtoNpardon 後漢書