否决

• Pinyin: fǒu jué
• Hanzi breakdown: 否 = 口 + 不 (mouth + not — to negate verbally, to say no); 决 = 氵 + 夬 (water + cutting apart — to decide, to determine, to break through)

Meaning

To veto; to vote down; to formally reject a proposal, motion, or bill.

否决 is formal and institutional — used for authoritative rejections. 一票否决 = single-veto power. 联合国安理会否决权 = UN Security Council veto right. In corporate governance: 董事会否决 (board veto). More definitive than 拒绝 (to refuse/decline).

Examples

1. 联合国安理会就停火问题紧急投票时，一项立即停止敌对行动的草案因常任理事国行使否决权而未通过。 In an emergency Security Council vote on a ceasefire, a draft calling for an immediate end to hostilities failed because a permanent member used its veto power.
2. 董事会听取财务报告后，以六票对三票否决了大股东的跨界收购方案，认为风险在当前市场下难以控制。 After hearing the financial report, the board voted six to three to reject the major shareholder's cross-industry acquisition plan, saying the risk would be hard to control in the current market.
3. 这份多次修订的教育改革草案在全国人大专题审议中再次遭到否决，委员们认为课程条款仍需与地方实际磨合。 This repeatedly revised education reform draft was vetoed again in a special review by the National People's Congress, as members felt the curriculum clauses still needed to be adjusted to local conditions.

Usage Guide

Context: politics, law, corporate governance, international relations

Tone: serious

Do Say

• 在这一体系中，行政长官可对特定法案行使否决权，但须在法定期限内完成，议会也可再投票推翻。(In this system, the chief executive may exercise veto power over certain bills, but must do so within the legal time limit, and the legislature can overturn it with another vote.)
• 董事会为保护中小股东利益否决了控股股东的私有化方案，认为报价未充分体现资产价值和增长潜力。(The board vetoed the controlling shareholder's privatization proposal to protect minority shareholders, saying the offer did not fully reflect the company's asset value and growth potential.)

Don't Say

• 否决 and 拒绝 interchangeably — 拒绝 means to refuse or decline (an invitation, a request), while 否决 implies a formal institutional decision to reject or nullify something, typically through a vote or official process

Origin & History

否 (to negate; no; not so) + 决 (to decide; to determine; to resolve) — to decide against; to reject decisively

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal