合法 (hé fǎ) — legal; lawful; legitimate

Definition

Adjective meaning 'lawful, legitimate' — used for actions, businesses, or status that comply with the law. Pairs naturally with 经营/注册; for 'legitimate' in the sense of proper/standard (not legal), use 正规.

adjective
legallawfullegitimate

Examples

  • 合法。
    Zhè jiā gōng sī shì hé fǎ zhù cè de.
    This company is legally registered.
  • 合法。
    Tā de xíng wéi wán quán hé fǎ.
    His behavior is completely lawful.
  • 合法。
    hé fǎ Jīng yíng shì qǐ yè de jī chǔ.
    Legal operation is the foundation of a business.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

合héconform to
法fǎlaw

合 means to conform to and 法 means law, so together they mean conforming to law.

Characters in this word

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

合 shows 亼 and 口 arranged as two mouths speaking together.

Open 合 →

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.

Open 法 →
Appears in
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