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条文 (tiáo wén) — article, clause (of a law, treaty, regulation)

Definition

noun
articleclause (of a law, treaty, regulation)
Measure word · 条

Examples

  • 条文。
    Zhè fèn hé tong de dì yī tiáo wén guī dìng le shuāng fāng de quán lì hé yì wù.
    The first article of this contract stipulates the rights and obligations of both parties.
  • 条文。
    Xiàn fǎ zhōng de měi yì tiáo wén dōu jīng guò fǎn fù tǎo lùn.
    Every article in the constitution underwent repeated discussion.
  • 条文。
    Gāi tiáo yuē de tiáo wén nèi róng shè jí huán jìng bǎo hù.
    The content of the treaty's articles concerns environmental protection.

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.

条tiáoarticle
文wéntext

“条” (article) and “文” (text) combine to mean the text of an article or clause.

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 條; 条 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
木木mù
Sound part声符shēngfú
攸
攸yōu條tiáo
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 條 pairs 木, a small branch or stick, with 攸, which shows a person warned by a hand holding a stick, as a sound part; 条 is a later shortened shape.

Open 条 →

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

The current form 文 shows a man with head, arms, legs, and chest; the tattoo marks on the chest are no longer drawn.

Open 文 →
Appears in
Law & Justice

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