TongTong
Sign in

遵守 (zūn shǒu) — to comply with, to abide by, to observe (rules, laws, agreements)

Definition

遵守 means to follow and obey established rules, laws, or agreements. 守 is the same idea used inside compounds (like 守法), while 遵循 and 遵照 are more formal and written.

verb
to comply withto abide byto observe (rules, laws, agreements)

Examples

  • 遵守。
    Wǒ men bì xū zūn shǒu fǎ lǜ.
    We must abide by the law.
  • 遵守。
    Tā cóng lái bù zūn shǒu jiāo tōng guī zé.
    He never obeys traffic rules.
  • 遵守。
    Gōng sī yāo qiú yuán gōng zūn shǒu nèi bù zhì dù.
    The company requires employees to comply with internal regulations.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

遵zūnfollow
守shǒukeep

遵 means follow and 守 means keep, so the word expresses following rules closely.

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
辵辵chuòwalk
Sound part声符shēngfú
尊
尊zūn遵zūn
Same sound today

遵 shows 辵, “walk,” beside 尊, an offering of a vessel of wine; the respect in 尊 is linked to obeying.

Open 遵 →

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

  • 宀宀miánroof; building
  • 寸寸cùnhand

守 pairs 宀, a roof or building, with 寸, a hand, to show a hand guarding a place.

Open 守 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 5HSK 2.0 Level 5Law & Justice5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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