"prove one's guilt" 是一个法律/正式语境下的短语,核心含义是:证明某人有罪(通过证据、证词等确立某人的犯罪事实)。
prove:动词,意为“证明;证实”(通过证据、逻辑或事实使人信服);
one's:代词所有格(如his/her/the suspect's等),指代“某人的”;
guilt:名词,此处指“法律上的有罪;罪行”(而非“内疚”,后者是其另一常见义,但在这个短语中取法律义)。
该短语常用于法律场景(如法庭审判、刑事调查),强调“用证据或程序确认某人的犯罪责任”。常见搭配和结构如下:
通常是控方、警方、调查人员或证据本身:
The prosecution(控方)must prove the defendant's guilt.(控方必须证明被告有罪。)
The police failed to prove his guilt due to lack of evidence.(因缺乏证据,警方未能证明他有罪。)
DNA evidence proved the suspect's guilt beyond any doubt.(DNA证据毫无疑问地证明了嫌疑人有罪。)
prove one's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt:(法律术语)排除合理怀疑地证明某人有罪(英美法系中定罪的核心标准);
例:In a criminal trial, the state must prove the defendant's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.(在刑事审判中,检方必须排除合理怀疑地证明被告有罪。)
fail to prove one's guilt:未能证明某人有罪;
例:The defense argued that the prosecution had failed to prove their client's guilt.(辩方辩称,控方未能证明其当事人有罪。)
use sth. to prove one's guilt:用某物证明某人有罪;
例:The prosecutor used witness testimony to prove the suspect's guilt.(检察官用证人证言证明嫌疑人有罪。)
也可转换为被动语态,强调“某人的罪行被证明”:
His guilt was proven by the surveillance footage.(监控录像证明了他的罪行。)
The defendant's guilt has not yet been proven in court.(被告的罪行尚未在法庭上得到证实。)
法律报道:The jury took just two hours to find the defendant guilty after the prosecution proved his guilt with video evidence.(控方用视频证据证明被告有罪后,陪审团仅用两小时就判定其有罪。)
日常讨论(非正式):I don't think you can prove his guilt—all you have is hearsay.(我认为你无法证明他有罪——你只有传闻。)
establish one's guilt:与"prove one's guilt"同义,但更强调“确立、建立”有罪的事实(更正式);
show one's guilt:更口语化,强调“表明”有罪(证据不够严谨时可用)。
总结:"prove one's guilt"是法律场景下的核心表达,聚焦“用可靠证据确认犯罪事实”,是刑事审判中最关键的环节之一。