教唆 means 'to abet' or 'to incite'—specifically, to deliberately encourage or persuade someone else to commit an illegal or harmful act. The first character 教 (jiào) means 'to teach' or 'to instruct', while 唆 (suō) conveys urging or prompting, often with negative intent. Together, they form a formal, legal term emphasizing intentional influence toward wrongdoing—not mere suggestion, but purposeful provocation.

This word appears frequently in legal contexts, news reports, and formal writing, rarely in casual speech. It implies moral or legal responsibility for the resulting action, even if the speaker doesn’t carry it out personally. Unlike general verbs like 鼓励 (to encourage), 教唆 carries strong negative connotations and is almost always used with illicit or unethical behavior—such as crime, violence, or fraud.