Chinese word

惩罚

Pronunciation

Pinyinchéng fá

Meaning

  • verbpunish

Example

我们不能随便惩罚孩子。wǒ men bù néng suí biàn chéng fá hái zi

We cannot just punish children.

Illustration for 惩罚 (punish)

More examples

在司法实践中，应当根据情节决定是否惩罚。zài sī fǎ shí jiàn zhōng yīng dāng gēn jù qíng jié jué dìng shì fǒu chéng fá

In judicial practice, one should decide whether to punish based on the circumstances.

Core concept

A response that marks wrongdoing with a penalty or corrective consequence.

Common phrases

  • 从重惩罚cóng zhòng chéng fá

    punish more severely

  • 适当惩罚shì dàng chéng fá

    punish appropriately

  • 不要随意惩罚bú yào suí yì chéng fá

    do not punish arbitrarily

Similar words

处罚chǔ fá: Officially penalize someone for violating a law or rule.
惩戒chéng jiè: Correct wrong behavior through guidance, warnings, or disciplinary action.
处分chǔ fèn: Apply an official workplace or organizational penalty for breaking rules.
罚fá: Apply a penalty for a violation or mistake.

Definition in Chinese

对个人在行为或纪律方面的错误给予的处分或惩戒，既可指实际的处罚也可指以教育为目的的惩戒。duì gè rén zài xíng wèi huò jì lǜ fāng miàn de cuò wù jí yǔ de chǔ fèn huò chéng jiè jì kě zhǐ shí jì de chǔ fá yě kě zhǐ yǐ jiào yù wèi mù dì de chéng jiè

Word origin

惩 (chéng, "chastise") + 罚 (fá, "penalize") joins two related ideas of making someone answer for a wrong action.

Usage tips

  • Chinese keeps the same form for a verb and a noun, so the surrounding sentence shows whether it refers to an act of discipline or the penalty itself.

Other meanings

  • punishmentnoun

Opposites

Related words

  • 惩罚制度chéng fá zhì dùpunishment systemnoun

Word lists with this word