陈规 (chén guī) — outmoded conventions; outdated practices | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

陈规 refers to outdated, rigid rules or practices that should be replaced. The closely related 陋习 focuses more on bad personal habits and customs, while 陈规 implies formal, institutional conventions to be broken.

noun

outmoded conventionsoutdated practices

Examples

陈规。
Zhè xiē chén guī yǐ jīng bú shì hé xiàn dài shè huì le.
These outmoded conventions are no longer suitable for modern society.
陈规，。
Wǒ men yào dǎ pò chén guī, yǒng yú chuàng xīn.
We must break outmoded conventions and dare to innovate.
陈规，。
Tā men hái zài jiān chí nà xiē chén guī, zhēn shì kě xiào.
They are still clinging to those outmoded conventions, which is ridiculous.

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.

陈 means old or outdated, and 规 are rules, suggesting outdated conventions.

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 陳; 陈 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

阜阜fùmound

Sound part声符shēngfú

東

東dōng陳chén

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 陳 pairs 阜 (mound) with 東 as a sound component.

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 規; 规 is its simplified writing.

夫見規

夫夫fūhusband
見見jiànsee

The simplified 规 is a shorthand; the traditional form 規 shows a cross-shaped compass in its early drawing, and its later form uses 夫 and 見.

Appears in

Abstract Concepts

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