Government & Law in Chinese 政府
zhèngfǔ
Government in Chinese is 政府 (zhèng fǔ).
Also searched for as: government, law, politics.
Who makes the rules? 15 essential government & law words in Mandarin Chinese, with pinyin and English. Open it in the app to hear each word, tick off the ones you know and turn them into flashcards.
Government in Chinese is 政府 (zhèng fǔ), and this vocabulary covers the basics of how a country is run and how rules are made and enforced. You'll find words like 法律 (fǎ lǜ), law, 选举 (xuǎn jǔ), election, and 警察 (jǐng chá), police, along with everyday terms such as 规定 (guī dìng), a rule or regulation, and 罚款 (fá kuǎn), a fine, which come up far more often in daily life than in politics.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 政府 | zhèng fǔ | government |
| 国家 | guó jiā | state; country |
| 总统 | zǒng tǒng | president |
| 总理 | zǒng lǐ | premier; prime minister |
| 选举 | xuǎn jǔ | election |
| 法律 | fǎ lǜ | law |
| 法院 | fǎ yuàn | court |
| 警察 | jǐng chá | police |
| 政策 | zhèng cè | policy |
| 权利 | quán lì | rights |
| 规定 | guī dìng | regulation |
| 违法 | wéi fǎ | illegal |
| 罚款 | fá kuǎn | fine |
| 公民 | gōng mín | citizen |
| 人民 | rén mín | the people |
Usage tips
- Leaders' titles vary: 总统 (zǒng tǒng) is a president and 总理 (zǒng lǐ) a premier, as in Singapore's prime minister, while the UK and Japanese prime ministers are usually called 首相 (shǒu xiàng).
- 规定 is the everyday word for rules at school, work or in a building, and it often starts a sentence: 学校规定上课不能用手机 (xué xiào guī dìng shàng kè bù néng yòng shǒu jī), the school rules say no phones in class.
- 违法 (wéi fǎ) means breaking the law; for breaking a rule or regulation, say 违反规定 (wéi fǎn guī dìng).
Common mistakes
- Mixing up 权利 (quán lì), rights, and 权力 (quán lì), power: they sound identical, so the mistake shows up in writing → rights you have are 权利, power someone holds is 权力.
- Using 人民 (rén mín) for people in general: it's a formal, collective word for "the people" → for ordinary people say 人 or 大家, as in 很多人 (hěn duō rén), not 很多人民.
- Saying 法律 as fǎ lù → it's fǎ lǜ, with the ü sound of 绿 (lǜ), green.
Mini dialogue
- A你怎么不高兴？Nǐ zěn me bù gāo xìng?Why the long face?
- B我停车停错了地方，被罚款了。Wǒ tíng chē tíng cuò le dì fang, bèi fá kuǎn le.I parked in the wrong place and got fined.
- A哎呀，罚了多少？Āi yā, fá le duō shao?Oh dear, how much was it?
- B两百块。我真不知道那里有规定。Liǎng bǎi kuài. Wǒ zhēn bù zhī dào nà li yǒu guī dìng.Two hundred kuai. I honestly didn't know there was a rule there.
- A下次先看看牌子吧，不然警察还会来的。Xià cì xiān kàn kan pái zi ba, bù rán jǐng chá hái huì lái de.Check the signs first next time, or the police will be back.
Example sentences
- 市政府在这里建了一个新公园。The city government built a new park here.
- 你去过多少个国家？How many countries have you been to?
- 总统明天会发表讲话。The president will give a speech tomorrow.
- 总理今天参观了一所学校。The prime minister visited a school today.
- 学校下周举行学生会选举。The school is holding student council elections next week.
- 每个人都要遵守法律。Everyone must obey the law.
- 这件事要交给法院决定。This matter will have to be decided by the court.
- 公司有新的休假政策。The company has a new leave policy.
- 每个孩子都有上学的权利。Every child has the right to go to school.
- 学校规定上课不能用手机。The school rules say no phones in class.
- 酒后开车是违法的。Drink-driving is illegal.
- 他停错了地方，被罚款了。He parked in the wrong place and got fined.
- 每个公民都有投票的权利。Every citizen has the right to vote.
- 人民的生活越来越好了。People's lives are getting better and better.
Practise speaking
Ready to use these words? The Government & law speaking island has 8 everyday questions about government & law to prepare your own answers to.