Chinese word

私了

Pronunciation

Pinyinsī liǎo

Meaning

  • verbsettle out of court

Example

我们已经私了，不去法庭。wǒ men yǐ jīng sī liǎo bú qù fǎ tíng

We have already settled out of court and will not go to court.

Illustration for 私了 (settle out of court)

More examples

他为了省事，跟对方私了了。tā wèi le shěng shì gēn duì fāng sī liǎo le

To save trouble, he settled out of court with the other party.

Core concept

A conflict is closed by a direct arrangement between the parties instead of a public legal process.

Common phrases

  • 跟对方私了gēn duì fāng sī liǎo

    settle out of court with the other party

  • 双方私了shuāng fāng sī liǎo

    Both parties settle out of court

Similar words

和解hé jiě: Settling a dispute through an agreement between the sides.
协商xié shāng: Talking together to work out terms or decide on a response.

Definition in Chinese

当事者双方在私下经协商达成和解或赔偿，从而停止向司法机关诉讼的行为。dāng shì zhě shuāng fāng zài sī xià jīng xié shāng dá chéng hé jiě huò péi cháng cóng ér tíng zhǐ xiàng sī fǎ jī guān sù sòng de xíng wéi

Word origin

The meaningful parts 私 (sī, "private") and 了 (liǎo, "finish") combine to show a matter being finished through private handling.

Usage tips

  • English speakers may overread the word as proof of secrecy or wrongdoing, but its tone depends on context and it can describe an ordinary agreement between the parties.

Other meanings

  • resolve privatelyverb

Opposites

Word lists with this word