处罚 (chǔ fá) — to punish; to penalize

Definition

处罚 is a formal 'to punish / penalize', used for official or institutional penalties (schools, companies, authorities). It is broader and more formal than 罚 (often a fine) and 罚款 (monetary fine).

verb
to punishto penalize

Examples

  • 处罚。
    Tā yīn wèi wéi fǎn jiāo tōng guī zé bèi chǔ fá le.
    He was punished for violating traffic rules.
  • 处罚。
    Gōng sī huì duì wéi fǎn guī dìng de yuán gōng jìn xíng chǔ fá.
    The company will penalize employees who violate the rules.
  • 处罚。
    Xué xiào duì zuò bì xíng wéi yǒu yán gé de chǔ fá cuò shī.
    The school has strict punishment measures for cheating.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

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

处chùpunish
罚fápunish

处 and 罚 both mean to impose a penalty, so together they emphasize punishing someone.

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 處; 处 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
夂夂zhǐ
几几jǐtable
Sound part声符shēngfú
虍
虍hū處chǔ
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 處 pairs 虍, giving the sound, with 夂 and 几, a table, as meaning parts. The simplified 处 is a shorthand and its parts are not the historical components.

Open 处 →

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
HSK 3.0 Level 6Law & Justice

Browse more HSK 6 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.