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法律 (fǎ lǜ) — law

Definition

法律 means 'law' as a system — the body of rules a society follows. 法 alone is broader (also 'method'); 法规 and 法制 refer to specific statutes and the legal framework.

noun
law
Measure word · 条, 套, 个

Examples

  • 法律。
    Měi gè guó jiā dōu yǒu bù tóng de fǎ lǜ.
    Every country has different laws.
  • 法律。
    Zhè tiáo fǎ lǜ bǎo hù xiāo fèi zhě de quán yì.
    This law protects consumers' rights.
  • 法律。
    Tā xué le yì zhěng tào fǎ lǜ zhī shi.
    He learned a whole set of legal knowledge.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

法fǎlaw
律lǜstatute

'法' and '律' both refer to rules, together naming 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
彳彳chì
Sound part声符shēngfú
聿
聿yù律lǜ
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

律 puts 彳 beside 聿: 彳 is the part tied to the meaning, and 聿 is the part tied to the sound.

Open 律 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 4HSK 2.0 Level 4Law & Justice2000 Most Frequent Chinese Words3000 Most Frequent Chinese Words5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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