刑 (xíng) - punishment & penalty

刑Tone 2

xíng ｜ 6 strokes ｜ radical: 刂

信嫣

刑 · xíng

punishment;

penalty;

torture;

law;

criminal law

punishmentpenaltytorture

Usage highlights

criminal lawpunishmentcriminal casedeath penaltytorturecriminal justice

Synonyms

  • 罚— penalty, fine
  • 惩— punish, discipline
  • 法— law, legal

Antonyms

  • 奖— reward, prize
  • 赏— award, bestow
  • 赦— pardon, amnesty

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • He was sentenced to criminal punishment (刑罚).
  • The criminal law (刑法) was amended.
  • They study criminal justice (刑事司法).
  • Capital punishment is the death penalty (死刑).

Collocations

  • criminal law(刑法)
  • punishment(刑罚)
  • criminal case(刑事案件)
  • death penalty(死刑)
  • torture(酷刑)
  • criminal justice(刑事司法)

Idioms

  • Severe punishment and strict laws(严刑峻法)
  • To be subjected to corporal punishment(受刑)
  • To escape punishment(逃刑)
  • To abolish punishment(废刑)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • One of the earliest concepts in Chinese legal philosophy, dating back to ancient legal codes.
  • Traditionally associated with the Five Punishments in ancient China.
  • Reflects the Confucian-Legalist debate about the role of punishment in governance.

FAQ