刑 (xíng) — punishment; sentence (legal penalty); torture; corporal punishment
Definition
刑 is a bound form, almost always seen in compounds like 刑法 (criminal law), 死刑 (death penalty), or 判刑 (to sentence). It means 'legal punishment' — broader than 'torture' or 'corporal punishment', which are just one historical aspect.
bound form
punishmentsentence (legal penalty)torturecorporal punishment
Examples
- 。Zhè ge guó jiā yǐ jīng fèi chú le sǐ xíng.This country has already abolished the death penalty.
- 。Fǎ guān pàn xíng shí nián.The judge sentenced him to ten years in prison.
- ，。Tā xué guò xíng fǎ, suǒ yǐ duì fǎ lǜ hěn liǎo jiě.He studied criminal law, so he knows a lot about the legal system.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.
刑 puts 刀 (knife) beside 井. The knife part shows the punishment idea, and 井 gives the sound.
Appears in
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