违法 (wéi fǎ) — to break the law; be illegal

Definition

违法 means 'to break the law' as a verb, used for actions that violate statutes. Pair it with 非法 (adjective) to describe something illegal, and 违反 to stress going against a specific law or rule.

verb
to break the lawbe illegal

Examples

  • 违法。
    Tā yīn wèi wéi fǎ bèi fá kuǎn le.
    He was fined for breaking the law.
  • 违法。
    Jiǔ hòu kāi chē shì wéi fǎ xíng wéi.
    Drunk driving is an illegal act.
  • 违法。
    Rèn hé rén dōu bú yīng gāi wéi fǎ.
    No one should break the law.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

违wéiviolate
法fǎlaw

违 means violate and 法 means law, so together they express breaking the 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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 違; 违 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
辶Written in full as辵chuò
Sound part声符shēngfú
韋
韋wéi違wéi
Same sound today

The traditional form 違 pairs 辶, which shows walking, with 韋 to give the sound. The simplified 违 is a later shorthand.

Open 违 →

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 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 5Law & Justice5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

Browse more HSK 5 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.