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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

HSK 5
你眼里还有王法吗？
Nǐ yǎnlǐ hái yǒu wángfǎ ma?
Do you have any respect for the law at all?
HSK 6
他行事完全不顾王法。
Tā xíngshì wánquán búgù wángfǎ.
He acts with utter disregard for the law.
HSK 7-9
光天化日之下竟敢杀人，还有没有王法！
Guāngtiān-huàrì zhīxià jìng gǎn shārén, hái yǒu méiyǒu 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; 法令 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