处罚

• Pinyin: chǔ fá
• Hanzi breakdown: 处 (handle, deal with) + 罚 (punish, penalty)

Meaning

To punish; punishment; penalty.

Refers to official or formal punishment for violations of rules, laws, or regulations. More formal than 惩罚 and often used in legal, administrative, or institutional contexts. Can be both a verb and a noun.

Examples

1. 违反交通规则会受到相应的处罚。 Violating traffic rules will result in corresponding penalties.
2. 公司决定对迟到的员工进行处罚。 The company decided to impose penalties on employees who are late.
3. 这次处罚太轻了，起不到警示作用。 This punishment is too light to serve as a warning.

Usage Guide

Context: legal, workplace, regulations

Tone: serious

Do Say

• 他因违规受到了处罚。(He was punished for violating the rules.)
• 处罚决定已经公布了。(The punishment decision has been announced.)

Don't Say

• 对小孩子说'我要处罚你'太正式——家庭中用'惩罚'或'罚'更自然 (Saying 我要处罚你 to a child is too formal — use 惩罚 or 罚 in family settings)

Origin & History

Compound of 处 (to handle, to deal with) + 罚 (to punish, penalty), meaning to deal punishment.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal