罚

罰/罸

fá

刂 + 罒 + 讠

HSK 3.0Level 5

Definitions

fá (verb) to punish; to penalize

Etymology

Simplified form of 罰; to punish 刂 the accused 詈

About

罚, the simplified form of 罰, combines 詈 (the accused, from 罒 'net' over 言 'speech') and 刂 (knife, punish). The net evokes entrapment by law, the speech a verbal judgment, and the knife the resulting penalty. The simplified character replaces 言 with 讠, keeping the structure intact. Together they depict someone caught in justice's net, given a spoken sentence, and facing physical punishment. It means to punish, fine, or penalize those who break rules or commit crimes, and appears widely in legal, disciplinary, and sports contexts.

Etymology Hide

Bronze Early Western Zhou (~1000 BC)

Bronze Late Western Zhou (~800 BC)

Bronze Late Warring States (~250 BC)

Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

他因为迟到被罚款。

Tā yīnwèi chídào bèi fákuǎn.

He was fined for being late.

不遵守规则会被罚。

Bù zūnshǒu guīzé huì bèi fá.

Not following rules will result in punishment.

司机违规受到处罚。

Sījī wéiguī shòudào chǔfá.

The driver was punished for violating rules.

学校惩罚了作弊的学生。

Xuéxiào chéngfá le zuòbì de xuéshēng.

The school punished the cheating students.

法官判决他罚金。

Fǎguān pànjué tā fájīn.

The judge sentenced him to a fine.

交通罚单必须及时处理。

Jiāotōng fádān bìxū jíshí chǔlǐ.

Traffic tickets must be dealt with promptly.

公司对迟到员工进行罚款。

Gōngsī duì chídào yuángōng jìnxíng fákuǎn.

The company fines employees who are late.

法律规定醉酒驾驶要受罚。

Fǎlǜ guīdìng zuìjiǔ jiàshǐ yào shòu fá.

The law stipulates that drunk driving will be punished.

Related Characters

Component: 刂

Component: 罒

Component: 讠

罚