惩治 (chéng zhì) — to punish; to mete out punishment to

Definition

惩治 (chéngzhì) is a formal, written verb meaning 'to punish / mete out punishment' — typically used for crimes or officials, stronger and more institutional than the everyday 罚.

verb

to punishto mete out punishment to

Examples

惩治。
Fǎ lǜ bì xū yán lì chéng zhì fàn zuì.
The law must severely punish crime.
惩治。
Zhè ge fǔ bài guān yuán bèi yī fǎ chéng zhì le.
This corrupt official was punished according to law.
惩治。
Zhèng fǔ cǎi qǔ cuò shī chéng zhì wéi fǎ xíng wéi.
The government took measures to punish illegal activities.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

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

惩chéngpunish

治zhìpunish

惩 and 治 both mean to punish, so together they express 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 懲; 惩 is its simplified writing.

徵心懲

Meaning part形符xíngfú

心心xīn

Sound part声符shēngfú

徵

徵zhǐ懲chéng

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 懲 pairs 心 (heart) with 徵 as its sound part; the simplified 惩 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the historical components.

Open 惩 →

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

水水shuǐwater

Sound part声符shēngfú

台

台tái治zhì

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

治 has 水 (water) and 台; 台 gives the sound, and the character named a river.

Open 治 →

Appears in

Law & Justice