惩处 (chéng chǔ) — to penalize, to punish (formal, often used in legal or disciplinary contexts)

Definition

Formal verb for 'to penalize / punish,' used in legal and disciplinary contexts. Stronger and more institutional than everyday words like 处罚 or 惩罚.

verb
to penalizeto punish (formal, often used in legal or disciplinary contexts)

Examples

  • 惩处。
    Gōng sī duì wéi guī yuán gōng jìn xíng le yán lì chéng chǔ.
    The company severely penalized the employees who violated the rules.
  • 惩处。
    Fǎ lǜ míng què guī dìng le duì zhè zhǒng fàn zuì xíng wéi de chéng chǔ cuò shī.
    The law clearly stipulates the punishment measures for this type of criminal act.
  • 惩处。
    Tā yīn tān wū shòu huì shòu dào le yīng yǒu de chéng chǔ.
    He received due punishment for embezzlement and bribery.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

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

惩chéngpunish
处chùhandle or punish

惩 and 处 both carry punishing and handling meanings, together mean penalize.

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 懲; 惩 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
心心xīn
Sound part声符shēngfú
徵
徵zhǐ懲chéng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 懲 pairs 心 (heart) with 徵 as its sound part; the simplified 惩 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the historical components.

Open 惩 →

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 →

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