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惩罚性 (chéng fá xìng) — punitive (nature); serving as punishment

Definition

A formal, written noun meaning 'of a punitive nature' — used to describe damages, measures, or clauses whose purpose is to punish rather than just compensate.

noun
punitive (nature)serving as punishment

Examples

  • 惩罚性。
    Fǎ yuàn pàn jué gōng sī zhī fù chéng fá xìng péi cháng jīn.
    The court ordered the company to pay punitive damages.
  • 惩罚性。
    Zhè zhǒng chéng fá xìng cuò shī duì yuán gōng bù gōng píng.
    This kind of punitive measure is unfair to employees.
  • 惩罚性。
    Xīn guī zēng jiā le chéng fá xìng tiáo kuǎn lái dǎ jī wéi fǎ xíng wéi.
    The new regulations added punitive clauses to crack down on illegal behavior.

Origin

Derived word
构词法gòucífǎ
后缀hòuzhuìSuffix

A fixed syllable at the end that turns the word into a noun, a person, a place or the like.

惩罚punish
惩chéngpunish罚fápunish
联合Coordinate
性xìngnature

惩罚 means to punish, and 性 gives it the sense of a punitive quality.

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 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 罰; 罚 is its simplified writing.

  • 詈詈lìabuse verbally
  • 刀刀dāoknife

The traditional form 罰 pairs 詈 (abuse verbally) with 刀 (knife); verbal abuse and improper use of a knife represent a crime. The simplified 罚 is a later abbreviation.

Open 罚 →

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

Meaning part形符xíngfú
忄Written in full as心xīnheart
Sound part声符shēngfú
生
生shēng性xìng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

性 is built from 忄 (the heart) and 生 (a sound clue). The heart part connects the word to a person's inner nature or quality.

Open 性 →
Appears in
Law & Justice

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