审定

• Pinyin: shěn dìng
• Hanzi breakdown: 审 = 宀+ 番 (examine carefully); 定 = 宀+ 正 (settle, determine)

Meaning

To review and approve; to examine and finalise; to formally ratify after scrutiny.

Used in official, academic, and publishing contexts to indicate that something has been examined thoroughly and officially confirmed or approved. Implies a higher level of authority than mere 审核 — the item is not only checked but definitively settled.

Examples

1. 教育部已审定并公布了新版国家课程标准。 The Ministry of Education has reviewed, approved, and released the new national curriculum standards.
2. 专家委员会经过多轮讨论，最终审定了这份技术规范。 After multiple rounds of discussion, the expert committee finally approved this technical specification.
3. 该教材须经主管部门审定后方可在全国推广使用。 This textbook may be promoted for nationwide use only after it is reviewed and approved by the relevant authorities.

Usage Guide

Context: publishing, education, government, standards

Tone: serious

Do Say

• 这批技术标准由国家标准委员会审定，具有法律效力。(This set of technical standards was reviewed and ratified by the National Standards Committee and carries legal force.)
• 新修订的法规草案已提交全国人大常委会审定，预计年内颁布实施。(The revised draft regulations have been submitted to the Standing Committee of the NPC for final approval, and are expected to be promulgated within the year.)

Don't Say

• 审定 for informal personal decisions — it is reserved for official institutional review; use 确定 or 决定 for everyday decisions

Origin & History

审 (examine) + 定 (determine, finalise)

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal