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家法

jiāfǎ
noun #54,958

Meanings

  1. 1 family rules; household discipline
  2. 2 stick or rod used to discipline children or servants in old families
  3. 3 (scholarship) the doctrine and methods passed down within a school of thought from master to disciple

Examples

在传统大家庭里，家法非常严厉。
Zài chuántǒng dà jiātíng lǐ, jiāfǎ fēicháng yánlì.
In traditional large families, household discipline was very strict.
他犯了错，被父亲用家法责打。
Tā fànle cuò, bèi fùqīn yòng jiāfǎ zédǎ.
He made a mistake and was punished by his father with the family rod.
这位学者严守师门家法。
Zhè wèi xuézhě yán shǒu shīmén jiāfǎ.
This scholar strictly upholds the doctrines of his master's school.

Tips

culture
The three meanings cluster around one idea — 'rules of the house' — but escalate. (1) Family code of conduct. (2) The literal stick (a 戒尺 jièchǐ) for enforcing it. (3) By extension, the 'house rules' of a scholarly tradition, where Han dynasty Confucian academies competed over rival 家法 of classics interpretation. Context tells you which sense applies.

Stroke Order

家 jiā
法 fǎ