冒犯
mào fàn · HSK 7
to offend
冒 (to brave/venture) + 犯 (to violate) = to boldly violate someone = to offend
冒 fàn: mào is the same 冒 as in 冒险 (to take a risk), and 犯 fàn means to break a rule or commit a crime. Together: to venture across someone's line and break it, i.e. to offend.
冒 — top 冃 (cloth/cover) + 目 (eye)
Originally a pictograph showing a cloth or cap covering the eyes, suggesting something pulled down over the head. From this came the meaning 'to cover,' then by extension 'to risk' or 'brave through' (as in pushing forward despite obstacles). The top component 冃 is often miswritten as 日, but it depicts a covering, not the sun.
犯 — dog radical 犭 + 㔾 (kneeling person)
Originally a semantic-phonetic compound: the dog radical 犭 suggested an animal attacking, while 㔾 (a kneeling figure) hinted at the sound and the idea of submission or transgression. The meaning broadened from 'a beast attacking a person' to 'to violate, offend, commit (a crime),' giving modern senses like 'criminal' and 'to infringe.'