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王法

wángfǎ
noun #33,112

Meanings

  1. 1 the law of the land; state law (especially in former times)
  2. 2 (figurative) law and order; the rules

Examples

你眼里还有王法吗？
Nǐ yǎn lǐ hái yǒu wángfǎ ma?
Do you have any respect for the law at all?
他行事完全不顾王法。
Tā xíngshì wánquán búgù wángfǎ.
He acts with utter disregard for the law.
光天化日之下竟敢杀人，还有没有王法！
Guāngtiānhuàrì zhī xià jìng gǎn shārén, hái yǒu méi yǒu wángfǎ!
Murder in broad daylight! Is there no law anymore!

Tips

register
王法 is rhetorical and old-fashioned — literally 'the king's law,' from imperial times. Modern formal law is 法律 fǎlǜ; 法令 fǎlìng for decrees. 王法 today survives mainly in indignant exclamations (你心中还有没有王法 — 'have you no respect for the law?!'), period dramas, and wuxia. It carries moral weight that 法律 doesn't.
memory
Literally 王 (king) + 法 (law) — 'king's law.' The phrase predates the Qin unification, when each state had its own 王法; later it generalized to 'law of the land.' Compare 国法 guófǎ (national law), which has the same flavor.

Stroke Order

王 wáng
法 fǎ