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细则 (xì zé) — detailed rules, implementing regulations

Definition

Rules (细则) that spell out the HOW for a broader 法规 or 制度 — think 'implementing regulations' or 'detailed rules,' not the law itself.

noun
detailed rulesimplementing regulations

Examples

  • 细则。
    Gōng sī fā bù le xīn de guǎn lǐ xì zé.
    The company released new management regulations.
  • 细则。
    Zhè xiàng fǎ lǜ xì zé jiāng zài xià ge yuè shēng xiào.
    These detailed legal rules will take effect next month.
  • 细则。
    Qǐng zǐ xì yuè dú kǎo shì xì zé.
    Please read the exam regulations carefully.

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.

细xìdetailed
则zérule

细 (detailed) and 则 (rule) combine to mean detailed regulations.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 細; 细 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
糸糸mì
Sound part声符shēngfú
囟
囟xìn細xì
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 細 pairs 糸, silk or thread, with 囟 for the sound. The simplified 细 is a later shorthand, and the old right part changed shape.

Open 细 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 則; 则 is its simplified writing.

  • 鼎鼎dǐngding, a bronze cauldron for cooking or sacrificial rituals
  • 刂刀dāoknife

The traditional form 則 pairs 鼎, a bronze cauldron, with 刂, a knife, possibly showing carving on a bronze vessel; the simplified 则 is a later shorthand.

Open 则 →
Appears in
Law & Justice

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