刑 xíng punishment
punishment; penalty; law
How it came to be
A wooden frame, the well block, with a knife beside it. There is no ancient form. The frame is the stocks, and the blade is what happens to whoever is in them.
用法
- Criminal punishment / penal law - 刑法 (xíngfǎ) criminal law, 刑事 (xíngshì) criminal (as opposed to civil 民事), 判刑 (pànxíng) to sentence.
- The 刑事/民事 split is fundamental in law: criminal vs. civil matters.
- Also the punishment itself - 死刑 (sǐxíng) death penalty, 服刑 (fúxíng) to serve a sentence.