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法典 (fǎ diǎn) — legal code; statute book; (in Buddhism) scriptural canon

Definition

Literally 'code of laws' (法律 + 典 'canon'); in modern use it means a systematic legal code or statute book (e.g. 民法典 civil code). The Buddhist sense ('scriptural canon') is a separate, traditional meaning.

noun
legal codestatute book(in Buddhism) scriptural canon
Measure word · 部

Examples

  • 法典。
    Zhōng guó zhèng zài wán shàn zì jǐ de mín shì fǎ diǎn.
    China is perfecting its civil code.
  • 法典。
    Zhè bù fǎ diǎn duì hòu shì de fǎ lǜ yǐng xiǎng hěn dà.
    This code had a great influence on later generations of law.
  • 法典。
    Fó jīng fǎ diǎn shì yán jiū fó jiào de zhòng yào wén xiàn.
    Buddhist scriptural codes are important documents for studying Buddhism.

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.

法fǎlaw
典diǎncanon

"法" gives law and "典" names a canonical collection, so the word means a collection of laws.

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
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 →

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

  • 冊冊cèbooks
  • 丌丌qítable

典 puts 冊 (books) on a 丌 (table), showing official books resting on a table.

Open 典 →
Appears in
Law & Justice

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