上刑 (shàng xíng) — to torture, to subject to severe corporal punishment (often in historical or legal contexts)

Definition

A historical/legal verb meaning to torture or inflict severe corporal punishment on someone. Often used in describing interrogations, prisons, or ancient settings.

verb
to torture, to subject to severe corporal punishment (often in historical or legal contexts)
Easily confused

Examples

  • ，上刑。
    Tā bèi zhuā jìn qù zhī hòu, zāo shòu le yán kù de shàng xíng.
    After being taken in, he suffered severe torture.
  • ，。
    Shěn wèn de shí hou, tā men gěi tā shàng le jǐ cì xíng.
    During the interrogation, they tortured him several times.
  • 上刑。
    Xiǎo shuō lǐ miáo xiě le gǔ dài láo fáng lǐ shàng xíng de chǎng jǐng.
    The novel describes scenes of torture in ancient prisons.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

上shàngapply
刑xíngpunishment

上刑 combines 上 apply and 刑 punishment, meaning to impose corporal punishment.

Characters in this word

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

上 is drawn as a short horizontal line placed above a longer arc, marking a position above that arc.

Open 上 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
刀刀dāo
Sound part声符shēngfú
井
井jǐng刑xíng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

刑 puts 刀 (knife) beside 井. The knife part shows the punishment idea, and 井 gives the sound.

Open 刑 →

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