废止 (fèi zhǐ) — to abolish; to annul (a law, rule, system, etc.) | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

Formal written verb meaning to officially abolish or annul a law, rule, or system. Pairs with legal/institutional subjects (政府, 法院, 规定) rather than people.

verb

to abolishto annul (a law, rule, system, etc.)

Examples

废止。
Zhèng fǔ jué dìng fèi zhǐ zhè xiàng jiù fǎ lǜ.
The government decided to abolish this old law.
废止。
Xīn guī dìng fèi zhǐ le jiù zhì dù.
The new regulation abolished the old system.
废止。
Fǎ yuàn xuān bù fèi zhǐ zhè tiáo bù hé lǐ de guī dìng.
The court announced the annulment of this unreasonable rule.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

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

废fèiabolish

废 (abolish) and 止 (stop) combine to mean put an end to a rule or system.

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 廢; 废 is its simplified writing.

广發廢

Meaning part形符xíngfú

广广guǎnghouse

Sound part声符shēngfú

發

發fā廢fèi

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 廢 shows 广 as a house and 發 as the sound.

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

止 was drawn as a footprint pointing up, with three toes and a sole, originally showing a foot.

Appears in

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