惯例

• Pinyin: guàn lì
• Hanzi breakdown: 惯 = 忄+ 贯 (habitual); 例 = 亻+ 列 (person + row — a precedent set in line)

Meaning

Convention; established practice; customary rule. A way of doing things that has become standard through repeated usage over time.

Widely used in legal, diplomatic, and organisational contexts. 按照惯例 (according to convention) and 打破惯例 (break with convention) are very common collocations. Carries a neutral to slightly conservative tone.

Examples

1. 按照惯例，新任总裁应在就职一周内召开全体员工大会。 By convention, the new president should hold an all-hands meeting within a week of taking office.
2. 这位艺术家以打破惯例著称，从不按常规出牌。 This artist is known for breaking convention and never playing by the usual rules.
3. 国际外交场合中存在许多不成文的惯例和礼仪规范。 In international diplomacy, there are many unwritten conventions and rules of etiquette.

Usage Guide

Context: law, diplomacy, business

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 依照国际惯例，合同纠纷应提交仲裁委员会处理。(According to international convention, contractual disputes should be submitted to the arbitration committee.)
• 他们决定打破惯例，允许员工完全自主选择工作时间。(They decided to break with convention and allow employees complete autonomy in choosing their working hours.)

Don't Say

• 这是我的惯例习惯 — 惯例 already means an established practice or convention; do not combine with 习惯, which is redundant; use either 惯例 alone or 习惯 alone depending on whether the context is institutional or personal

Origin & History

惯 (habitual, accustomed) + 例 (precedent, example, rule). A habitual precedent — a rule formed through repeated practice.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal