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民事 (mín shì) — civil (law), relating to civil law or civil matters

Definition

Legal term for 'civil' (non-criminal matters like contracts, property, family). Pairs with 案件, 诉讼, 法律; the criminal counterpart is 刑事.

adjective
civil (law), relating to civil law or civil matters

Examples

  • 民事。
    Zhè ge mín shì àn jiàn yǐ jīng shěn lǐ le sān gè yuè.
    This civil case has been tried for three months.
  • 民事。
    mín shì Fǎ lǜ hé xíng shì fǎ lǜ yǒu hěn dà qū bié.
    Civil law and criminal law are very different.
  • 民事。
    Tā men tōng guò mín shì sù sòng jiě jué le cái chǎn wèn tí.
    They resolved the property issue through civil litigation.

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.

民mínpeople
事shìaffairs/matters

民 (people) and 事 (affairs) combine to mean civil affairs or matters.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The early form of 民 shows an eye pierced by a sharp cross-shaped implement, possibly linked to an injured or unclear eye.

Open 民 →

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

In 事, 又 is a hand and 中 is a flagpole with a drum; holding a flag in hand depicts performing a job.

Open 事 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Law & Justice

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