知法犯法 (zhī fǎ fàn fǎ) — to knowingly violate the law; to break the law despite being aware of it

Definition

A formal chengyu meaning 'know the law yet break it' — committing a crime while fully aware it's illegal, which carries extra moral and legal weight. Used in legal, journalistic, and formal criticism contexts.

idiom
to knowingly violate the lawto break the law despite being aware of it

Examples

  • 知法犯法，。
    Shēn wéi lǜ shī què zhī fǎ fàn fǎ, zhēn shì ràng rén shī wàng.
    As a lawyer, knowingly violating the law is truly disappointing.
  • 知法犯法。
    Zhè zhǒng zhī fǎ fàn fǎ de xíng wéi bì xū shòu dào yán lì chéng fá.
    This kind of behavior — deliberately breaking the law — must be severely punished.
  • 知法犯法，。
    Jǐng chá rú guǒ zhī fǎ fàn fǎ, jiù gèng yīng gāi bèi zhuī zé.
    If police officers knowingly violate the law, they should be held even more accountable.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

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

知法know the law
知zhīknow法fǎlaw
动宾Verb + object
犯法break the law
犯fànviolate法fǎlaw
动宾Verb + object

Knowing the law and then breaking it; 知 means know, 犯 means violate, 法 means law.

Characters in this word

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

An early form of 知 showed 大 (adult), 口 (mouth), and 子 (child): an adult speaking to a child to pass on knowledge. The 子 part was dropped, and the 大 part changed shape.

Open 知 →

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
犬犬quǎn
Sound part声符shēngfú
𢎘
𢎘𢎘犯fàn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

犯 combines 犬 and 𢎘: 犬 gives the meaning, and 𢎘 gives the sound.

Open 犯 →

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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