惯例 guànlì convention
convention; usual practice
How to remember 惯例: 惯 habit + 例 examples = convention.
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How it is used
- The established, customary way of doing things - 按照惯例 (ànzhào guànlì) as is the custom / following convention.
- Contrasts with 习惯 (xíguàn, a personal habit): 惯例 is a shared institutional or social practice, e.g. 国际惯例 (guójì guànlì) international convention, 打破惯例 (dǎpò guànlì) to break with precedent.
- Formal register, common in business, diplomacy, and law.