Chinese word

法律

Pronunciation

Pinyinfǎ lǜ

Meaning

  • nounlaw

Example

我们要遵守法律。wǒ men yào zūn shǒu fǎ lǜ

We must obey the law.

Illustration for 法律 (law)

More examples

他因为违反法律被判刑。tā yīn wèi wéi fǎn fǎ lǜ bèi pàn xíng

He was sentenced for violating the law.

Core concept

A public framework of binding rules that sets boundaries for society and can be enforced by the state.

Common phrases

  • 遵守法律zūn shǒu fǎ lǜ

    obey the law

  • 违反法律wéi fǎn fǎ lǜ

    violate the law

  • 制定法律zhì dìng fǎ lǜ

    enact legislation

Similar words

规定guī dìng: A clearly stated rule or demand that people are officially required to follow.
规则guī zé: A rule defining the proper method or sequence for an activity.
法规fǎ guī: A formally enacted state rule belonging to the legal system.
制度zhì dù: A framework of rules that organizes what a group or society does and how it does it.

Definition in Chinese

由国家制定或认可、对全体社会成员具有普遍约束力并由国家强制执行的行为规范和制度。yóu guó jiā zhì dìng huò rèn kě duì quán tǐ shè huì chéng yuán jù yǒu pǔ biàn yuē shù lì bìng yóu guó jiā qiáng zhì zhí xíng de xíng wéi guī fàn hé zhì dù

Word origin

法 (fǎ, "law") contributes the idea of a legal standard, while 律 (lǜ, "rule") adds an established rule, so their combination names an organized system of binding public norms.

Usage tips

  • English uses "law" for both state rules and regular patterns in nature, so this Chinese noun needs a legal or government context rather than a science context.

Other meanings

  • legislationnoun

Related words

  • 法律援助fǎ lǜ yuán zhùlegal aidnoun
  • 法律责任fǎ lǜ zé rènlegal liabilitynoun
  • 法律条款fǎ lǜ tiáo kuǎnlegal provisionnoun

Word lists with this word