则
(literary) (conjunction used to express contrast with a previous clause) but; then; (bound form) standard; norm; (bound form) principle; (literary) to imitate; to follow
Closest English meanings
rule·standard·then·principle
The Calligrapher — Wèi Jì 卫觊
Wei statesman and calligrapher renowned for seal and clerical script.
三国魏 calligrapher (), master of seal script/clerical script — known for 卫氏书派先声. Wei kingdom (Three Kingdoms)
Cultural Story
则 is the rule that follows. The Analects warn "学而不思则罔，思而不学则殆" — study without thought is blind, thought without study is perilous. The character once pictured a tripod and a knife, cutting a standard. It still binds cause to result: do this, and then that, the grammar of consequence in a sentence.
Common words & phrases
- 规则 rule · regulation
- 原则 principle
- 否则 otherwise · if not
- 准则 standard · norm · criterion
- 守则 rules · regulations
- 总则 general rules · general principles
Read the story behind the character
The camp 规则 ban open flames. The student handbook prints the 守则 by the door. A judge weighs the 原则 against the letter of the law. The contract's 总则 sets the terms. The word names the standard a group agrees to live by, from a classroom to a court.
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