TongTong
Sign in

处决 (chǔ jué) — to execute, to put to death; to decide, to resolve (formal)

Definition

Formal/law-style verb with two distinct senses: to execute (a condemned person) and to officially decide or settle a matter. Pairs with 判处/依法 in the execution sense, and 委员会/事件 in the decision sense — never used in casual speech.

verb
to executeto put to deathto decideto resolve (formal)

Examples

  • 处决。
    Suǒ yǒu bèi pàn chǔ sǐ xíng de qiú fàn dōu bì xū yī fǎ chǔ jué.
    All prisoners sentenced to death must be executed according to law.
  • 处决。
    Wěi yuán huì yǐ jīng chǔ jué le zhè jiàn shì.
    The committee has already decided this matter.
  • ，处决。
    Zhàn zhēng jié shù hòu, xǔ duō zhàn fàn bèi gōng kāi chǔ jué.
    After the war ended, many war criminals were publicly executed.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

处chùhandle
决juédecide

处 gives handle and 决 gives decide, together meaning to decide a punishment, especially execution.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 處; 处 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
夂夂zhǐ
几几jǐtable
Sound part声符shēngfú
虍
虍hū處chǔ
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 處 pairs 虍, giving the sound, with 夂 and 几, a table, as meaning parts. The simplified 处 is a shorthand and its parts are not the historical components.

Open 处 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 決; 决 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
氵Written in full as水shuǐ
Sound part声符shēngfú
夬
夬guài決jué
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 決 has 氵 (water) and 夬, which gives the sound. This describes 決, not the simplified 决.

Open 决 →
Appears in
Law & Justice

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.