则 (zé): (literary) (conjunction used to express contrast with a previous clause) but, then, (bound form) standard, norm, (bound form) principle
则 (zé) is a Chinese character meaning “(literary) (conjunction used to express contrast with a previous clause) but.” Classified as HSK Level 4 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 贝 (structural) and 刂 (structural). It ranks #284 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 则 laws inscribed 刂 on a slate 贝. Its radical form 刂 (knife) appears in many related characters such as 分 (fēn, to divide), 别 (bié, to leave), 到 (dào, to reach).
Definitions
- (literary) (conjunction used to express contrast with a previous clause) but
- then
- (bound form) standard
- norm
- (bound form) principle
Etymology & Origin
ideographicLaws inscribed 刂 on a slate 贝
Decomposition: ⿰贝刂 (layout: left-right)
Stroke Order
Practice writing 则 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 则
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 法则noun | fǎ zé | law |
| 准则noun | zhǔn zé | norm |
| 守则noun | shǒu zé | rules |
| 不规则adjective | bù guī zé | irregular |
| 以身作则phrase | yǐ shēn zuò zé | to set an example (idiom) |
| 实则adverb | shí zé | actually |
| 细则noun | xì zé | detailed rules and regulations |
| 一则conjunction | yī zé | on the one hand |
| 附则noun | fù zé | supplementary provision |
| 欲速则不达proverb | yù sù zé bù dá | (idiom) (the Analects) haste makes waste |
| 原则性noun | yuán zé xìng | principled |
| 然则conjunction | rán zé | that being the case |
| 则已 | zé yǐ | (literary) used in expressions of the form 不 + (verb) + 則已|则已 ... "either don't (verb) at all, or if yo... |
| 通则noun | tōng zé | general rule |
| 一中原则 | yī zhōng yuán zé | One-China principle, the official doctrine that Taiwan is a province of China |
则 appears in 81 compound words: 5 as the first character, 52 as the last, and 43 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.
Strongest Collocations
Characters that most frequently co-occur with 则 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (6)
injustice provokes outcry; where there is injustice, there will be protest
(idiom) when you hit bottom, you have to come up with a new approach
the four basic operations of arithmetic (addition, subtraction, multiplication and division)
to accept criticism gladly (humble expr.); to be happy when one's errors are pointed out
the four basic operations of arithmetic (addition, subtraction, multiplication and division)
to accept criticism gladly (humble expr.); to be happy when one's errors are pointed out
Example Sentences
则字在不同的语境中有不同的用法。
zé zì zài bù tóng de yǔ jìng zhōng yǒu bù tóng de yòng fǎ .
The character "则" has different usages in different contexts.
AI重塑市场规则 信任成为品牌竞争核心资产
A I chóng sù shì chǎng guī zé xìn rèn chéng wéi pǐn pái jìng zhēng hé xīn zī chǎn
AI reshapes market rules Trust has become the core asset of brand competition
...食要留意:与免疫力有关!瞭解“4+1”守则远离带状疱疹
. . . shí yāo liú yì : yǔ miǎn yì lì yǒu guān ! 瞭 jiě 4 1 shǒu zé yuǎn lí dài zhuàng 疱 疹
... Pay attention to food: related to immunity! Understand the "4+1" rule to stay away from shingles
...初九玉皇大帝生日8大禁忌 尤其别做一事否则恐“穷足一年”
. . . chū jiǔ yù huáng dà dì shēng rì 8 dà jīn jì yóu qí bié zuò yī shì fǒu zé kǒng qióng zú yī nián
... The 8 taboos on the birthday of the Jade Emperor on the ninth day of the first month, especially don't do anything, otherwise you may be "poor for a year"
男生小便后甩一甩能减少异味吗?尿液残留少则氨味轻吗
nán shēng xiǎo biàn hòu shuǎi yī shuǎi néng jiǎn shǎo yì wèi ma ? niào yè cán liú shǎo zé 氨 wèi qīng ma
Can a boy shake after urinating reduce odor? Is the smell of ammonia lighter if there is less urine residue?
军事论坛丨以简驭繁:用简单规则“智”胜未来
jūn shì lùn tán 丨 yǐ jiǎn yù fán : yòng jiǎn dān guī zé zhì shèng wèi lái
Military Forum丨Control complexity with simplicity: "smart" with simple rules to win the future
我是基督教徒，而他则是佛教徒。
Wǒ shì Jīdūjiàotú, ér tā zé shì Fójiàotú.
I am Christian, but he is Buddhist.
汤姆本应该遵守规则。
Tāngmǔ běn yīnggāi zūnshǒu guīzé.
Tom should've obeyed the rules.
你对足球规则熟悉吗？
Nǐ duì zúqiú guīzé shúxī ma?
Are you familiar with the rules of soccer?
请你为我解释规则好吗?
Qǐng nǐ wèi wǒ jiěshì guīzé hǎo ma?
Would you please explain the rules to me?
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 则 (zé) mean in Chinese?
How many strokes does 则 have?
What is the radical of 则?
What are the components of 则?
What are common words containing 则?
What characters sound the same as 则 (zé)?
Is 则 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 则 with real-time feedback
Trace stroke sequences, hear spoken pronunciation, and build lasting retention with spaced repetition in the HanziFeed app.