Dictionary › 则

则

zé

HSK 5 Character Traditional 則

What 则 means

1. literary(conjunction used to express contrast with a previous clause) but; then
2. bound formstandard; norm
3. bound formprinciple
4. literaryto imitate; to follow
5. classifier for written items

Example sentences

• 遵守规则！
  Follow the rules.
• 欲速则不达。
  Yùsùzébùdá.
  Haste makes waste.
• 凡事豫则立。
  Forewarned is forearmed.
• 这违反规则。
  That's against the rules.
• 你触犯了规则。
  Nǐ chùfàn le guīzé.
  You broke the rules.
• 水至清则无鱼。
  Clear water breeds no fish.

Words starting with 则

• 则个zé gè(old sentence-final expression used for emphasis)
• 则已zé yǐ(literary) used in expressions of the form 不
• 则步隆Zé bù lóngZabulon or Zebulun, biblical land between Jordan and Galilee (Matthew 4:15)
• 则辣黑Zé là hēiZerah (son of Judah in the Old Testament)

Words containing 则

• 否则fǒu zéotherwise; if not; or (else)
• 原则yuán zéprinciple; doctrine
• 规则guī zérule; regulation; regular; orderly; fixed
• 准则zhǔn zénorm; standard; criterion
• 法则fǎ zélaw; rule; code
• 原则上yuán zé shangin principle; generally
• 细则xì zédetailed rules and regulations; bylaws
• 实则shí zéactually; in fact
• 武则天Wǔ Zé tiānWu Zetian (624-705), Tang empress, reigned 690-705
• 守则shǒu zérules; regulations
• 不规则bù guī zéirregular
• 以身作则yǐ shēn zuò zéto set an example (idiom); to serve as a model
• 然则rán zéthat being the case; then; in that case
• 通则tōng zégeneral rule; general principle
• 原则性yuán zé xìngprincipled
• 虽则suī zénevertheless; although
• 林则徐Lín Zé xúLin Zexu or Lin Tse-hsu "Commissioner Lin" (1785-1850), Qing official whose anti-opium…
• 四项基本原则Sì xiàng Jī běn Yuán zéthe Four Cardinal Principles enunciated by Deng Xiaoping 邓小平
• 总则zǒng zégeneral rules; general principles; general provisions
• 再则zài zémoreover; besides
• 分则fēn zéspecific provisions (based on general regulations)
• 正则zhèng zéregular (figure in geometry)
• 理则lǐ zéprinciple; logic
• 理则学lǐ zé xuélogic

Characters built on 贝

These share the phonetic component 贝 (bèi), which is why their readings rhyme. Learning them as a family is far cheaper than learning them one at a time.

• 责zéduty; responsibility; to reproach
• 页yèpage; leaf
• 贺hèto congratulate
• 赊shēto buy or sell on credit; distant; long (time)

Characters that look like 则

Easy to confuse on sight. Compare them side by side once and the pair stops costing you.

• 别biéto leave; to part (from); (literary) to differentiate; to distinguish…
• 因yīncause; reason; because
• 困kùnto trap; to surround; hard-pressed
• 丽lìbeautiful
• 囚qiúprisoner
• 闵Mǐnsurname Min

Sounds the same

Read zé, tone for tone, but written differently.

• 择to select; to choose; to pick over
• 责duty; responsibility; to reproach
• 泽pool; pond; (of metals etc) luster
• 咋(literary) to bite; to gnaw
• 啧(interj. of admiration or of disgust); to click one's tongue…
• 赜mysterious
• 迮haste; to press
• 笮board under tiles on roof; narrow
• 崱lofty
• 帻turban; head-covering
• 矠(old) spear
• 箦reed mat