Meaning
判 means to make a judgment or decision, especially in legal or formal contexts. It involves distinguishing between options and reaching a conclusion based on evidence or reasoning. The character is commonly used in legal settings for sentencing, but also appears in everyday contexts when making judgments or distinctions.
Usage
This word is formal and most frequently appears in legal, judicial, or administrative contexts. Native speakers use it when discussing court decisions (判刑), making judgments (判断), or distinguishing between things. It's less common in casual conversation compared to more colloquial expressions for deciding.
Examples
- 01法官判他五年有期徒刑。.The judge sentenced him to five years in prison.
- 02很难判哪个方案更好。' .It's hard to judge which plan is better.
Common collocations
- 判刑to sentence (in court)
- 判断to judge, to determine
- 判决judgment, verdict
- 判定to decide, to determine
Origin
The character 判 combines the knife radical (刂) on the right with 半 (bàn, half) on the left, suggesting the idea of cutting or dividing things in half to separate and distinguish them—the original meaning of making judgments.