正规 (zhèng guī) — regular; standard; legitimate | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

正规 means 'standard, legitimate' — focuses on meeting established norms (education, channels, procedures). Stronger and more official than 正常 ('normal'), and stricter than 正式 ('formal/ceremonial').

adjective

regularstandardlegitimate

Examples

正规。
Tā jiē shòu le zhèng guī de jiào yù.
He received a regular education.
正规。
Qǐng tōng guò zhèng guī qú dào gòu mǎi.
Please purchase through regular channels.
正规。
Zhè cì bǐ sài shì fēi cháng zhèng guī de.
This competition is very legitimate.

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.

正zhèngproper

规guīstandard/rule

“正” (“proper”) and “规” (“standard/rule”) together mean “according to standards.”

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

Sound part声符shēngfú

丁

丁dīng正zhèng

Same sound today

正 pairs 止 with 丁; 止 marks the sense and 丁 gives the sound.

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 規; 规 is its simplified writing.

夫見規

夫夫fūhusband
見見jiànsee

The simplified 规 is a shorthand; the traditional form 規 shows a cross-shaped compass in its early drawing, and its later form uses 夫 and 見.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 6 HSK 2.0 Level 6 Good & Bad

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