法庭

• Pinyin: fǎ tíng
• Hanzi breakdown: 法 = 氵 (water) + 去 — law (flowing equally like water); 庭 = 广 (shelter) + 廷 (court)

Meaning

Court; courtroom; tribunal. A judicial body where legal cases are heard and judgments are made.

The physical courtroom and the abstract concept of judicial proceedings. Related terms: 出庭 (appear in court), 法庭审判 (court trial), 民事法庭 (civil court), 刑事法庭 (criminal court), 法官 (judge). In China, 法院 is the court as an institution, while 法庭 refers to the actual courtroom or hearing.

Examples

1. 双方律师在法庭上激烈辩论，法官不得不多次制止。 Lawyers from both sides argued intensely in court, and the judge had to intervene multiple times.
2. 他被传唤到法庭上作证，紧张得说话都结巴了。 He was summoned to testify in court and was so nervous he started stuttering.
3. 这起案件将于下周在法庭公开审理。 This case will be heard publicly in court next week.

Usage Guide

Context: legal, justice, trials

Tone: serious

Do Say

• 这件事最后闹到了法庭。(This matter eventually ended up in court.)
• 法庭判决被告赔偿原告损失。(The court ruled that the defendant must compensate the plaintiff for losses.)

Don't Say

• 把法院和法庭混用 (Don't confuse 法院 (court as institution) with 法庭 (courtroom/hearing) — 法院 is the building/organization, 法庭 is where trials happen)

Origin & History

Compound of 法 (law) + 庭 (hall, court). 庭 originally referred to a government hall or courtyard.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal