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体罚 (tǐ fá) — corporal punishment

Definition

noun
corporal punishment

Examples

  • 体罚。
    Xué xiào jìn zhǐ rèn hé xíng shì de tǐ fá.
    Schools prohibit any form of corporal punishment.
  • 体罚。
    Xǔ duō guó jiā yǐ jīng fèi chú le tǐ fá.
    Many countries have abolished corporal punishment.
  • 体罚。
    Jiā zhǎng bú yīng gāi yòng tǐ fá lái jiào yù hái zi.
    Parents should not use corporal punishment to educate children.

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.

体tǐbody
罚fápunish

“体” refers to the body, and “罚” refers to punishment, so the whole names punishment directed at the body.

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 體; 体 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
骨骨gǔbone
Sound part声符shēngfú
豊
豊lǐ體tǐ
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 體 pairs 骨 (bone) with 豊 as a sound part; this note is about 體, not about the parts of 体.

Open 体 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 罰; 罚 is its simplified writing.

  • 詈詈lìabuse verbally
  • 刀刀dāoknife

The traditional form 罰 pairs 詈 (abuse verbally) with 刀 (knife); verbal abuse and improper use of a knife represent a crime. The simplified 罚 is a later abbreviation.

Open 罚 →
Appears in
Law & JusticeSchool & Education

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