刑

xíng

刂 + 开

Definitions

xíng (noun) punishment; penalty

xíng (verb) torture; execute punishment

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 刂 represents the meaning and 井 represents the sound.

About

刑 is a phono-semantic compound: the right-side radical 刂 (dāo, 'knife') signals cutting, weapons, and severing, while the left-side component originally was 井 (jǐng) providing the sound, now written as 开. The combination gave the character its core meanings: penal law, criminal punishment, torture, and the execution of judicial sentences. In ancient China, such punishments routinely involved mutilation and bladed weapons, so the knife radical concretely embodies the physical nature of legal enforcement. Over time, 刑 came to cover both the instruments and the abstract principles of criminal justice.

Etymology Hide

Bronze Spring and Autumn (771-476 BC)

Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

刑法很重要。

xíng fǎ hěn zhòng yào.

Criminal law is very important.

刑罚必须公正。

xíng fá bì xū gōng zhèng.

Punishment must be fair.

法官宣布了刑罚。

fǎ guān xuān bù le xíng fá.

The judge announced the punishment.

这是一起刑事案件。

zhè shì yì qǐ xíng shì àn jiàn.

This is a criminal case.

如果犯罪就要接受刑罚。

rú guǒ fàn zuì jiù yào jiē shòu xíng fá.

If you commit a crime, you must accept punishment.

他的刑期是三年。

tā de xíng qī shì sān nián.

His prison term is three years.

严酷的刑罚不能杜绝犯罪。

yán kù de xíng fá bù néng dù jué fàn zuì.

Harsh punishment cannot eliminate crime.

现代刑法强调预防和改造。

xiàn dài xíng fǎ qiáng diào yù fáng hé gǎi zào.

Modern criminal law emphasizes prevention and rehabilitation.

Related Characters

Composed characters:

Component: 刂

Component: 开

刑