法定 (fǎ dìng) — statutory; legal (prescribed by law)

Definition

法定 means 'set by law' — it describes a rule, age, or procedure that is legally defined (e.g. 法定假日). Different from 合法 ('lawful' = not illegal) and 依法 ('according to the law' = adverb).

adjective
statutorylegal (prescribed by law)

Examples

  • 。
    Zhōng guó yǒu fǎ dìng de jié hūn nián líng.
    China has a legal marriage age.
  • 法定。
    Guó qìng jié shì fǎ dìng jià rì.
    National Day is a statutory holiday.
  • 法定。
    Tā men bì xū zūn shǒu fǎ dìng chéng xù.
    They must follow the legal procedure.

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
定dìngfixed

法定 describes something 定 that comes from or is prescribed by 法, so the meaning is 'fixed by law'.

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 →

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
宀宀mián
Sound part声符shēngfú
正
正zhèng定dìng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

定 is built from 宀 and 正, with 正 supplying the sound.

Open 定 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 6Law & Justice

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