刑 xíng punishment
punishment; penalty; law
How it came to be
形声 · Meaning + sound
One part gives the meaning, the other gives the sound.
The knife gives the meaning and the well gives the sound; the well later changed into the shape seen today.
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.