犯规

• Pinyin: fàn guī
• Hanzi breakdown: 犯 = violate; 规 = 夫 (man) + 见 (see) — standard, rule

Meaning

To commit a foul; to violate rules; infraction. Breaking the rules in sports or other regulated activities.

Most common in sports contexts for fouls: 技术犯规 (technical foul), 恶意犯规 (flagrant foul), 犯规次数 (number of fouls). Extended to other rule violations in competitions or regulated activities. Related: 犯规动作 (foul play), 被判犯规 (be called for a foul).

Examples

1. 那个球员因为犯规太多被罚下场了。 That player was ejected for committing too many fouls.
2. 裁判判定他的动作犯规，给了对方一个任意球。 The referee ruled his move a foul and awarded the other team a free kick.
3. 这场比赛双方犯规都很少，踢得很干净。 Both sides committed very few fouls in this match — it was a clean game.

Usage Guide

Context: sports, competition, rules

Tone: factual

Do Say

• 他的犯规动作太明显了，裁判不可能看不到。(His foul was too obvious; the referee couldn't have missed it.)
• 五次犯规就要被罚下场。(Five fouls and you'll be ejected.)

Don't Say

• 把一般的违规行为说成犯规 (Don't use 犯规 for general rule violations outside of sports contexts — use 违规 instead; 犯规 is primarily for sports)

Origin & History

Compound of 犯 (violate) + 规 (rule). Literally 'violate the rules.'

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal