违法

違法

wéifǎ

adjective HSK 5 #3,751

Meanings

1 illegal; unlawful
2 to break the law

Characters

to violate; to go against

Literally 'violating law' — a concise compound that works as both a verb and adjective.

Examples

酒驾是违法行为。

Jiǔjià shì wéifǎ xíngwéi.

Drunk driving is illegal behavior.

他因为违法被逮捕了。

Tā yīnwèi wéifǎ bèi dàibǔ le.

He was arrested for breaking the law.

违法的事情我们绝对不能做。

Wéifǎ de shìqing wǒmen juéduì bù néng zuò.

We absolutely must not do illegal things.

Tips

usage

违法 (illegal, breaking the law) vs 犯罪 (fànzuì, to commit a crime). 违法 is broader — it includes minor infractions. 犯罪 specifically means criminal offenses.

usage

Common: 违法行为 (illegal conduct), 违法犯罪 (law-breaking and crime), 违法成本 (cost of breaking the law).

Stroke Order

违 wéi

法 fǎ