惩

懲

chéng

征 + 心

Frequency#1821

Definitions

chéng (verb) to punish; to reprimand

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 心 represents the meaning and 征 represents the sound. Simplified form of 懲.

Semantic: 心 Phonetic: 征

About

The character "惩" derives from its traditional form "懲", which is composed of "徵" conveying action or evidence and "心" meaning heart or mind, reflecting an initial concept of warning or correcting judgment through mental influence. Over centuries, its semantic range condensed from general admonition to specifically denote punishment or retribution. The simplified form "惩" substitutes "徵" with the phonetically similar but semantically distinct "征", while retaining the "心" component to continue associating the character with disciplinary intent.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

他受到了惩罚。

Tā shòu dào le chéngfá.

He was punished.

学校惩罚了坏学生。

Xuéxiào chéngfá le huài xuéshēng.

The school punished the bad student.

因为迟到，他被惩罚了。

Yīnwèi chídào, tā bèi chéngfá le.

Because he was late, he was punished.

政府决心惩治腐败。

Zhèngfǔ juéxīn chéngzhì fǔbài.

The government is determined to punish corruption.

如果违反规则，你将受到严厉惩罚。

Rúguǒ wéifǎn guīzé, nǐ jiāng shòu dào yánlì chéngfá.

If you break the rules, you will face severe punishment.

法律对犯罪行为有明确的惩处规定。

Fǎlǜ duì fànzuì xíngwéi yǒu míngquè de chéngchǔ guīdìng.

The law has clear provisions for punishing criminal acts.

为了维护社会公正，必须严惩不法分子。

Wèile wéihù shèhuì gōngzhèng, bìxū yánchéng bùfǎ fènzǐ.

In order to maintain social justice, it is necessary to severely punish lawless elements.

通过对违法者的惩处，社会得以警示他人并预防犯罪。

Tōngguò duì wéifǎ zhě de chéngchǔ, shèhuì déyǐ jǐngshì tārén bìng yùfáng fànzuì.

Through the punishment of offenders, society can warn others and prevent crime.

Related Characters

Component: 征

惩