王法 (wáng fǎ) — the law of the land (in imperial China); royal law

Definition

Literally 'royal law' — the law of the land under imperial rule, or, in modern usage, a rhetorical 'law and order' someone is accused of ignoring. Stronger and more old-fashioned than 法律, which is the everyday word for 'law'.

noun
the law of the land (in imperial China)royal law

Examples

  • ，王法。
    Zài gǔ dài, wáng fǎ jiù shì huáng dì de mìng lìng.
    In ancient times, the law of the land was the emperor's command.
  • ，王法？
    Tā jìng gǎn dāng zhòng dǎ rén, hái yǒu méi yǒu wáng fǎ le?
    How dare he hit someone in public — is there no law anymore?
  • 王法。
    Zhè bù diàn shì jù fǎn yìng le gǔ dài wáng fǎ de cán kù.
    This TV series reflects the cruelty of the ancient law.

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.

王wángroyal
法fǎlaw

王 means royal, 法 means law; together they describe the law of the sovereign.

Characters in this word

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

The shape of 王 comes from a picture of a ritual axe, an object kept near a throne and connected with royal power.

Open 王 →

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 →

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