发配 (fā pèi) — to banish (to a frontier garrison or remote area)

Definition

A historical verb meaning to banish a criminal to a remote frontier garrison as legal punishment. The 把 construction is typical: 把犯人∼到边疆.

verb
to banish (to a frontier garrison or remote area)

Examples

  • 发配。
    Gǔ dài huáng dì cháng cháng bǎ fàn rén fā pèi dào biān jiāng.
    Ancient emperors often banished criminals to the frontier.
  • 发配。
    Tā bèi fā pèi dào nán fāng de yí gè xiǎo dǎo shàng.
    He was banished to a small island in the south.
  • 发配。
    Zhè zhǒng fā pèi zhì dù zài qīng cháo mò nián jiù fèi chú le.
    This system of banishment was abolished in the late Qing dynasty.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

发fāsend
配pèiexile

发 says to send, and 配 says to exile; together they give banishment to a remote place.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 發; 发 is its simplified writing.

The simplified 发 stands for more than one traditional character. In most words (爆发, 出发) it is 發; in others (理发, 头发) it is 髮.

The form 發, which 发 stands for in many words, was originally drawn as a bow firing an arrow.

Open 发 →

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

  • 酉酉yǒualcohol vessel
  • 卩卩jiékneeling person

配 is formed by putting 酉, an alcohol vessel, next to 卩, a kneeling person. The reference gives these two parts, but not the reason they combine.

Open 配 →
Appears in

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