明知故犯 (míng zhī gù fàn) — to knowingly violate (a rule, law, or norm); deliberate wrongdoing despite full awareness

Definition

A four-character idiom meaning to break a rule on purpose when you know exactly what you're doing is wrong — the violation is conscious, not accidental.

idiom
to knowingly violate (a rule, law, or norm)deliberate wrongdoing despite full awareness

Examples

  • ，明知故犯，。
    Tā míng míng zhī dào bù néng zài zhè lǐ tíng chē, què míng zhī gù fàn, jié guǒ bèi fá le kuǎn.
    He clearly knew he couldn't park here, but deliberately did it anyway, and ended up getting fined.
  • ，明知故犯，。
    Gōng sī guī dìng jìn zhǐ xī yān, tā què míng zhī gù fàn, zài bàn gōng shì lǐ chōu le qǐ lái.
    The company forbids smoking, but he knowingly violated the rule and lit up in the office.
  • ，明知故犯。
    Fǎ lǜ miàn qián rén rén píng děng, míng zhī gù fàn de rén bì xū chéng dān hòu guǒ.
    Everyone is equal before the law; those who knowingly break it must face the consequences.

Origin

Characters in this word

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

明 combines 日 (sun) and 月 (moon), showing the sun just rising while the moon has not yet set, or two bright objects in the sky, to express brightness.

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

An early form of 知 showed 大 (adult), 口 (mouth), and 子 (child): an adult speaking to a child to pass on knowledge. The 子 part was dropped, and the 大 part changed shape.

Open 知 →

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
攵Written in full as攴pū
Sound part声符shēngfú
古
古gǔ故gù
Same sound today

故 uses 古 for the sound and 攵, written in full as 攴, for the meaning.

Open 故 →

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
犬犬quǎn
Sound part声符shēngfú
𢎘
𢎘𢎘犯fàn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

犯 combines 犬 and 𢎘: 犬 gives the meaning, and 𢎘 gives the sound.

Open 犯 →

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