CHENGYU
约法三章(yuē fǎ sān zhāng)meaning, story and origin
- Register:
- formal
- Source:
- 《史记·高祖本纪》
MEANING
- Literal
- to agree on three clauses
- Figurative meaning
- to lay down simple, clear rules by mutual agreement
ORIGIN STORY
Entering the Qin capital, Liu Bang reassured the people and made a pact of just three laws: killers die; those who wound others or steal are punished. All the old harsh Qin codes were set aside.
NATURAL EQUIVALENT
“to lay down ground rules”
EXAMPLES
我们约法三章：不迟到，不玩手机，不吵架。Wǒmen yuē fǎ sān zhāng: bù chídào, bù wán shǒujī, bù chǎojià.HSK6
Let us agree on three rules: no lateness, no phones, no quarreling.
父母跟孩子约法三章，每天只玩半小时游戏。Fùmǔ gēn háizi yuē fǎ sān zhāng, měitiān zhǐ wán bàn xiǎoshí yóuxì.HSK6
The parents made a three-clause pact with their child: only half an hour of games a day.
COMMON MISTAKE
Watch out: Note the reading: 约 is yuē (to agree), not yuè. The rules need not literally be three.
CHARACTER BREAKDOWN
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TRUST & SOURCES
- Reviewed by
- AI-assisted editorial review
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-15
- CC-CEDICT 2026-01-01