法网恢恢 (fǎ wǎng huī huī) — (idiom) the long arm of the law; justice will catch up with wrongdoers

Definition

From the chengyu 法网恢恢，疏而不漏 ('the net of justice is vast, but nothing slips through'). It means wrongdoers will eventually be caught by the law.

idiom
the long arm of the lawjustice will catch up with wrongdoers

Examples

  • ，法网恢恢，。
    Fàn zuì fèn zǐ bú yào xīn cún jiǎo xìng, fǎ wǎng huī huī, shū ér bú lòu.
    Criminals should not harbor luck; the net of justice has wide meshes but nothing slips through.
  • ，法网恢恢，。
    Tā yǐ wéi néng táo tuō chéng fá, dàn fǎ wǎng huī huī, zuì zhōng hái shì bèi bǔ le.
    He thought he could escape punishment, but the long arm of the law caught up with him in the end.
  • 法网恢恢，，。
    fǎ wǎng huī huī Zhè jù huà gào sù wǒ men, zhèng yì kě néng huì chí dào, dàn bú huì quē xí.
    The saying 'the net of justice has wide meshes' tells us that justice may be delayed but will not be absent.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
主谓zhǔwèiSubject + predicate

A small sentence frozen into a word: something, and what it does or is.

法网law's net
法fǎlaw网wǎngnet
偏正Modifier + head
恢恢wide
恢huīwide恢huīwide
重叠Reduplication

法网 is the net of law and 恢恢 is wide, so the law's net is broad enough to catch wrongdoers.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 網; 网 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
糸糸mìrope
Sound part声符shēngfú
罔
罔wǎng網wǎng
Same sound today

The traditional form 網 pairs 糸 (rope) with 罔 to give the sound; the simplified 网 is a later shorthand.

Open 网 →

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
忄Written in full as心xīnheart
Sound part声符shēngfú
灰
灰huī恢huī
Same sound today

The left part 忄 is the heart radical, written 心 when standing alone, and the right part 灰 gives the sound.

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
忄Written in full as心xīnheart
Sound part声符shēngfú
灰
灰huī恢huī
Same sound today

The left part 忄 is the heart radical, written 心 when standing alone, and the right part 灰 gives the sound.

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.