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知法犯法

Mandarin · pinyin zhī fǎ fàn fǎ

to know the law and break it (idiom); consciously going against the rules

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Characters in this entry

知: zhī · know, perceive, comprehend
法: fǎ · law, rule, regulation, statute; France, French
犯: fàn · commit crime, violate; criminal

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Mandarin tones

1–3–4–3 · zhi1 fa3 fan4 fa3

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

zi1 faat3 faan6 faat3

Cantonese word readings for 知法犯法. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

phrase

(idiomatic) to know the law, but break it anyway

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

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