TongTong
Sign in

处分 (chǔ fèn) — (verb) to discipline, to punish (within an organization); (noun) disciplinary action, punishment

Definition

处分 is a formal/organizational punishment (e.g. a school or company disciplining a member), often as a written penalty. 比 处罚 less common; 比 惩罚 lighter than 制裁, which implies state-level legal or political action.

verb
to disciplineto punish (within an organization)
noun
disciplinary actionpunishment
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 处分。
    Tā yīn wèi chí dào bèi gōng sī chǔ fèn le.
    He was disciplined by the company for being late.
  • 处分。
    Xué xiào gěi le nà ge xué shēng yí gè yán zhòng chǔ fèn.
    The school gave that student a severe disciplinary action.
  • 处分。
    Zhè zhǒng wéi guī xíng wéi huì shòu dào chǔ fèn.
    This kind of violation will be punished.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

处chùhandle
分fēndue

处 handle and 分 due combine to mean assign someone their due, i.e. discipline.

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 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

分 pairs 八 (to separate) with 刀 (knife), showing something cut apart with a knife.

Open 分 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9HSK 2.0 Level 6Law & JusticeManagement

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