约法三章 (yuē fǎ sān zhāng) — (idiom) agreed-upon rules; basic rules that eve…

Definition

An idiom meaning 'agree on a few basic rules in advance' — usually said between parties before a deal or arrangement, not a law in the legal sense.

idiom

agreed-upon rulesbasic rules that everyone must observe

约法三章，。
Wǒ men yuē fǎ sān zhāng, shuí yě bù néng chí dào.
We set a rule that no one can be late.
，约法三章。
Hé zuò zhī qián, shuāng fāng xiān yuē fǎ sān zhāng.
Before cooperating, both sides first agree on basic rules.
约法三章，。
Jiā zhǎng hé hái zi yuē fǎ sān zhāng, měi tiān zhǐ néng wán yì xiǎo shí yóu xì.
The parents and child agreed on a rule: only one hour of gaming per day.

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 約; 约 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

糸糸mìrope

Sound part声符shēngfú

勺

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

The traditional form 約 uses 糸, a rope, for its meaning and 勺 for its sound; the simplified 约 is a later shorthand.

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.

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

三 is drawn as three parallel strokes, like 一 with one stroke and 二 with two.

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

章 shows a chisel piercing a piece of jade in the middle. It originally meant treating jade.