从宽 (cóng kuān) — (adv.) with leniency; in a lenient manner (used…

Definition

Formal/legal adverb meaning 'with leniency' — typically used with 处理 or 发落 to describe a court handling a case lightly, not a general-purpose word.

adverb

(adv.) with leniencyin a lenient manner (used in legal contexts)

从宽。
Fǎ yuàn jué dìng duì tā cóng kuān chǔ lǐ.
The court decided to handle his case with leniency.
从宽。
Zhǔ dòng jiāo dài wèn tí kě yǐ cóng kuān fā luò.
Voluntarily confessing the problem can lead to a lighter sentence.
从宽。
Fǎ guān zài pàn jué shí kǎo lǜ le cóng kuān de kě néng xìng.
The judge considered the possibility of leniency when making the ruling.

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

从 means to follow, and 宽 means leniency; together they mean to proceed leniently.

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 從; 从 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

辵辵chuòwalk

Sound part声符shēngfú

从

Same sound today

The traditional form 從 pairs 辵 (walk) with 从, which gives the sound; the character was originally written 从.

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 寬; 宽 is its simplified writing.

宀萈寬

Meaning part形符xíngfú

宀宀miánhouse

Sound part声符shēngfú

萈

萈huán寬kuān

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 寬 pairs 宀, a house, with 萈, a goat used for sound, to show a spacious house; the simplified 宽 is a later abbreviation.

Appears in