陷害 xiànhài to entrap
to entrap; to set up; to frame (up); to make false charges against
How to remember 陷害: 陷 to sink + 害 injure = to entrap.
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How it is used
- To frame someone / set them up with false charges - 他被同事陷害 (tā bèi tóngshì xiànhài) he was framed by a colleague.
- Strongly negative and deliberate: engineering someone's downfall through traps or lies.
- Contrast 诬陷 (wūxiàn, to frame with false accusations specifically) - 陷害 is the broader act of maliciously entrapping.