犯法 (fàn fǎ) — to break the law | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

犯法 means 'to break the law', focusing on the act itself as a violation, unlike 违法 which emphasizes infringing a specific rule or regulation.

verb

to break the law

Examples

犯法。
Rèn hé rén dōu bù néng fàn fǎ.
No one is allowed to break the law.
，。
Tā céng jīng fàn guò fǎ, suǒ yǐ xiàn zài zhǎo gōng zuò hěn nán.
He once broke the law, so now it's hard to find a job.
犯法。
fàn fǎ De rén yào chéng dān fǎ lǜ zé rèn.
People who break the law must bear legal responsibility.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

犯fànviolate

犯 “violate” and 法 “law” combine to mean break the law.

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

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.

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

氵Written in full as水shuǐwater

廌廌zhìa type of antelope or caprid

Sound part声符shēngfú

盍

盍hé法fǎ

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

法's older form combined 氵 (water) and 廌 (a type of antelope or caprid), with 盍 as a sound part; later 廌 was dropped.

Appears in

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.