家法 (jiā fǎ) — family rules / domestic discipline (traditional, passed down through generations); (historical) rod or implement for punishing children in a family

Definition

A traditional family’s own rules and the corporal punishment used to enforce them. Today it usually appears in historical or literary writing about old China, not in modern daily use.

noun
family rules / domestic discipline (traditional, passed down through generations)(historical) rod or implement for punishing children in a family
Easily confused

Examples

  • ，家法。
    Zài gǔ dài, měi gè dà jiā zú dōu yǒu zì jǐ de jiā fǎ.
    In ancient times, every large clan had its own family rules.
  • 家法。
    Tā yīn wèi wéi fǎn jiā fǎ bèi fá guì le yì zhěng tiān.
    He was punished by kneeling for a whole day for violating the family discipline.
  • 家法。
    Zhè bù xiǎo shuō xiáng xì miáo shù le jiù shè huì de jiā fǎ zhì dù.
    This novel describes in detail the family discipline system of old society.

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.

家jiāfamily
法fǎrules

家 (family) and 法 (rules) give family rules or a disciplinary method.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
宀宀miánroof
Sound part声符shēngfú
𢑓
𢑓𢑓家jiā
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The early drawing of 家 showed a roof 宀 over a male-pig sign 𢑓 that gave the pronunciation; the lower part later changed shape.

Open 家 →

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 →

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