成规 (chéng guī) — established practice; set rules; (figurative) rut; stagnation from following outdated rules

Definition

成规 means rigid, established rules that have become a barrier to change. In modern usage it almost always carries a negative sense (墨守成规 = 'stuck in a rut'), unlike neutral 规则, which just means rules.

noun
established practiceset rules(figurative) rutstagnation from following outdated rules

Examples

  • ，。
    Zhè jiā gōng sī mò shǒu chéng guī, hěn nán chuàng xīn.
    This company sticks to old rules and finds it hard to innovate.
  • 成规，。
    Wǒ men yīng gāi dǎ pò chéng guī, cháng shì xīn fāng fǎ.
    We should break the established rules and try new methods.
  • 成规，。
    Tā yàn juàn le bàn gōng shì de chéng guī, jué dìng huàn gōng zuò.
    He was tired of the rut in the office and decided to change jobs.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

成chéngestablished
规guīrule

成 suggests something already established, and 规 is a rule, giving set practices.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
戊戊wù
Sound part声符shēngfú
丁
丁dīng成chéng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

成 puts 戊, a weapon, beside 丁, which gives the sound. The weapon part relates to protection, as in the old sense of city walls.

Open 成 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 規; 规 is its simplified writing.

  • 夫夫fūhusband
  • 見見jiànsee

The simplified 规 is a shorthand; the traditional form 規 shows a cross-shaped compass in its early drawing, and its later form uses 夫 and 見.

Open 规 →

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