In any culture, a conviction is a serious matter, but 定罪 (dìngzuì) in China carries a particularly heavy weight, partly due to the nature of the legal system and social values. Historically and in practice, the Chinese legal system has a very high conviction rate. While the principle of “presumption of innocence” is officially part of Chinese law, the system is often more inquisitorial. This means that by the time a case reaches trial, a thorough investigation has usually gathered substantial evidence, and the expectation of a guilty verdict is often high. Therefore, the act of 定罪 is seen as the formal confirmation of a long investigative process. Compared to the Western adversarial system where a “not guilty” verdict is a common outcome, an acquittal or a verdict of 无罪 (wúzuì - not guilty) is far less common in China. This makes the word 定罪 feel incredibly final and life-altering. A conviction doesn't just result in legal punishment; it can bring significant shame (耻辱 - chǐrǔ) to an individual and their entire family, damaging their social standing or “face” (`面子 - miànzi`) permanently.
You'll encounter 定罪 primarily in formal contexts, but it also has a powerful metaphorical use.
A common mistake for English speakers is to confuse 定罪 (dìngzuì) with other stages of the legal process.