Lesson 7: Law & Politics
Master the vocabulary and grammar of Chinese legal and political discourse, enabling engagement with official documents, legal texts, and political commentary.
Overview
Legal and political language in Chinese is dense, formulaic, and carries significant cultural weight. At the B2 level, learners encounter this register in news coverage of legislation, official speeches, court documents, and policy statements. The vocabulary of law and politics is not merely technical — it encodes a particular vision of governance, rights, and state-society relations that differs in important ways from Western liberal frameworks. Understanding both the language and its ideological context is essential for genuine B2 competence.
Learning Objectives
- Use 根据法律 and 依法 correctly to cite legal authority in formal statements
- Recognize and deploy core legal and political vocabulary with appropriate collocations
- Distinguish between 权利 (right) and 权力 (power/authority) — a critical legal distinction
- Read and parse an excerpt from a legal or official political document
- Write a short formal statement citing legal authority for a policy position
Key Vocabulary
| Character | Pinyin | Type | Meaning | Usage Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 法律 | fǎlǜ | N | law (as a system) | 法律体系 = legal system; 法律法规 = laws and regulations |
| 权利 | quánlì | N | right (entitlement) | Citizens' rights: 合法权利 = legal rights |
| 权力 | quánlì | N | power (authority) | State/institutional power; same pronunciation, different character |
| 义务 | yìwù | N | obligation, duty | 法律义务 = legal obligation |
| 政策 | zhèngcè | N | policy | 出台政策 = introduce policy; 执行政策 = implement policy |
| 民主 | mínzhǔ | N/Adj | democracy; democratic | 民主制度 = democratic system |
| 宪法 | xiànfǎ | N | constitution | 宪法规定 = the constitution stipulates |
| 立法 | lìfǎ | V/N | to legislate; legislation | 立法机关 = legislature |
| 司法 | sīfǎ | N/Adj | judiciary; judicial | 司法独立 = judicial independence |
| 执法 | zhífǎ | V/N | to enforce the law; law enforcement | 执法机构 = law enforcement agency |
| 合法 | héfǎ | Adj | legal, lawful | Opp. 违法 = illegal |
| 规定 | guīdìng | V/N | to stipulate; regulation, provision | 法律规定 = legal provision |
| 条款 | tiáokuǎn | N | clause, provision | Contract/legal document term |
| 制裁 | zhìcái | V/N | to sanction; sanction | 经济制裁 = economic sanction |
Grammar Focus
Pattern 1: 根据法律/根据...规定 (Citing Legal Authority)
Structure: 根据 + [法律/宪法/条例/规定], + Subject + VP / 根据...第X条规定
Explanation: 根据 in legal and official contexts means "pursuant to," "in accordance with," or "based on." This construction cites a legal or regulatory source as the authority for a statement or action. It is ubiquitous in official documents, court decisions, legal notices, and formal policy statements. The precision of the citation (naming the specific law, article, or provision) distinguishes formal legal language from everyday speech and signals that the speaker or writer is operating within the framework of positive law.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 根据中华人民共和国宪法，公民享有言论自由的权利。 | Gēnjù Zhōnghuá Rénmín Gònghéguó xiànfǎ, gōngmín xiǎngyǒu yánlùn zìyóu de quánlì. | Pursuant to the Constitution of the People's Republic of China, citizens enjoy the right to freedom of speech. |
| 根据劳动合同法的相关规定，用人单位不得随意解除劳动合同。 | Gēnjù láodòng hétóng fǎ de xiāngguān guīdìng, yòng rén dānwèi bùdé suíyì jiěchú láodòng hétóng. | In accordance with the relevant provisions of the Labor Contract Law, employers may not arbitrarily terminate labor contracts. |
| 根据该条款，任何违反合同的行为都将承担相应的法律责任。 | Gēnjù gāi tiáokuǎn, rènhé wéifǎn hétóng de xíngwéi dōu jiāng chéngdān xiāngyìng de fǎlǜ zérèn. | Pursuant to this clause, any act in breach of the contract shall bear the corresponding legal liability. |
Pattern 2: 依法 (Acting in Accordance with Law)
Structure: 依法 + VP (often with governmental/institutional subject)
Explanation: 依法 is a formal adverb meaning "in accordance with the law" or "as required by law." It precedes a verb phrase to characterize a government action as legally grounded. This construction is particularly common in official government documents, law enforcement notices, and court pronouncements. The implicit message is that the action is legitimate because it is lawful. At B2, recognizing 依法 and its collocations (依法处理, 依法追责, 依法治国) is essential for reading official Chinese texts.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 对于违法行为，司法机关将依法予以追究。 | Duìyú wéifǎ xíngwéi, sīfǎ jīguān jiāng yīfǎ yǔyǐ zhuījiū. | With regard to illegal conduct, judicial organs will hold the perpetrators legally accountable in accordance with the law. |
| 政府依法保障公民的合法权益不受侵犯。 | Zhèngfǔ yīfǎ bǎozhàng gōngmín de héfǎ quányì bù shòu qīnfàn. | The government lawfully safeguards citizens' legal rights and interests from infringement. |
| 该企业依法纳税，并按时完成了年度审计。 | Gāi qǐyè yīfǎ nàshuì, bìng ànshí wánchéng le niándù shěnjì. | The enterprise paid taxes in accordance with the law and completed the annual audit on time. |
Compare with B1: 应该按照法律 (B1 approximate) vs. 依法...（official/formal） (B2).
Pattern 3: 享有...权利 / 承担...义务 (Rights and Obligations)
Structure: Subject + 享有 + (specific) + 权利 / Subject + 承担 + (specific) + 义务
Explanation: The paired concepts of rights and obligations are central to legal discourse. 享有 ("to enjoy," "to be entitled to") collocates specifically with rights and privileges, not ordinary actions. 承担 ("to bear," "to assume") collocates with obligations, responsibilities, and liabilities. These verbs are so strongly associated with their objects in legal and official language that they function as fixed collocations. Using 有 instead of 享有 (as at B1) sounds informal in legal contexts; similarly, 有义务 is less formal than 承担义务.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 每位公民都享有依法参与国家事务管理的权利。 | Měi wèi gōngmín dōu xiǎngyǒu yīfǎ cānyù guójiā shìwù guǎnlǐ de quánlì. | Every citizen is entitled to participate in the management of state affairs in accordance with the law. |
| 企业不仅享有经营自主权，也承担着相应的社会责任和法律义务。 | Qǐyè bùjǐn xiǎngyǒu jīngyíng zìzhǔquán, yě chéngdān zhe xiāngyìng de shèhuì zérèn hé fǎlǜ yìwù. | Enterprises not only enjoy the right to independent management but also bear corresponding social responsibilities and legal obligations. |
| 作为纳税人，公民既享有要求政府公开财政信息的权利，也承担依法纳税的义务。 | Zuòwéi nàshuìrén, gōngmín jì xiǎngyǒu yāoqiú zhèngfǔ gōngkāi cáizhèng xìnxī de quánlì, yě chéngdān yīfǎ nàshuì de yìwù. | As taxpayers, citizens both enjoy the right to demand that the government disclose fiscal information and bear the obligation to pay taxes in accordance with the law. |
Authentic Text
Genre: Excerpt from a legal commentary (法律评论节选)
根据中华人民共和国宪法，国家保障公民依法享有广泛的政治权利和经济权利。立法机关通过制定和完善法律，不断强化对公民权利的保护机制。依法治国作为国家治理的基本方针，要求政府的一切行政行为都必须有法律依据，执法部门依法行使职权，司法机关依法独立裁判。公民在享有宪法赋予的各项权利的同时，也承担着遵守法律、维护社会秩序的基本义务。这种权利与义务的辩证统一，是现代法治社会的基础。
Pinyin: Gēnjù Zhōnghuá Rénmín Gònghéguó xiànfǎ, guójiā bǎozhàng gōngmín yīfǎ xiǎngyǒu guǎngfàn de zhèngzhì quánlì hé jīngjì quánlì. Lìfǎ jīguān tōngguò zhìdìng hé wánshàn fǎlǜ, bùduàn qiánghuà duì gōngmín quánlì de bǎohù jīzhì. Yīfǎ zhì guó zuòwéi guójiā zhìlǐ de jīběn fāngzhēn, yāoqiú zhèngfǔ de yīqiē xíngzhèng xíngwéi dōu bìxū yǒu fǎlǜ yījù, zhífǎ bùmén yīfǎ xíngshǐ zhíquán, sīfǎ jīguān yīfǎ dúlì cáipàn. Gōngmín zài xiǎngyǒu xiànfǎ fùyǔ de gè xiàng quánlì de tóngshí, yě chéngdān zhe zūnshǒu fǎlǜ, wéihù shèhuì zhìxù de jīběn yìwù. Zhè zhǒng quánlì yǔ yìwù de biànzhèng tǒngyī, shì xiàndài fǎzhì shèhuì de jīchǔ.
Translation: Pursuant to the Constitution of the People's Republic of China, the state guarantees that citizens lawfully enjoy extensive political and economic rights. The legislature continuously strengthens the mechanism for protecting citizens' rights through enacting and improving laws. Governing the country in accordance with the law, as the basic principle of state governance, requires that all administrative actions of the government must have a legal basis, that law enforcement agencies exercise their powers in accordance with the law, and that judicial organs adjudicate independently in accordance with the law. While enjoying the various rights conferred by the Constitution, citizens also bear the basic obligation to abide by the law and maintain social order. This dialectical unity of rights and obligations is the foundation of a modern rule-of-law society.
Dialogue or Monologue
Dialogue: A law student consults a professor about a case
学生：教授，我有个关于劳动权利的问题想请教您。
教授：当然，说吧。
学生：根据劳动合同法，员工在试用期被无故解雇，享有什么权利？
教授：根据劳动合同法第三十九条的规定，用人单位只有在特定情形下才能在试用期解除合同。如果不符合法定情形，就属于违法解除。
学生：那员工可以依法要求什么补偿？
教授：可以依法要求用人单位承担赔偿义务。具体来说，根据法律规定，违法解除劳动合同的，应当支付赔偿金，标准是经济补偿金的两倍。
学生：如果公司拒绝赔偿怎么办？
教授：员工可以向劳动仲裁委员会申请仲裁，或者依法向法院提起诉讼。司法机关将依法对案件进行审理和裁判。
学生：所以说，员工的合法权益是受到法律保护的。
教授：对。权利与义务是对等的。员工承担了劳动义务，就享有获得合理报酬和依法保护的权利。依法治国的意义，就在于通过法律保障这种对等关系。
Translation: Student: Professor, I have a question about labor rights I'd like to ask you about.
Professor: Of course, go ahead.
Student: According to the Labor Contract Law, what rights does an employee have if dismissed without cause during the probationary period?
Professor: Under the provisions of Article 39 of the Labor Contract Law, employers may only terminate a contract during the probationary period under specific circumstances. If these statutory circumstances are not present, it constitutes unlawful termination.
Student: What compensation can the employee legally claim?
Professor: The employee may legally demand that the employer bear a compensation obligation. Specifically, according to legal provisions, in cases of unlawful termination of a labor contract, compensation must be paid at twice the amount of the standard severance payment.
Student: What if the company refuses to pay?
Professor: The employee may apply for arbitration before the Labor Arbitration Commission, or file a lawsuit with the court in accordance with the law. The judicial organ will hear and adjudicate the case in accordance with the law.
Student: So the employee's legal rights and interests are protected by law.
Professor: Exactly. Rights and obligations are reciprocal. When an employee fulfills labor obligations, they are entitled to receive reasonable compensation and legal protection. The significance of governing the country according to law lies precisely in using law to guarantee this reciprocal relationship.
Practice
Exercise 1: Grammar Analysis In the following passage, identify all instances of 根据, 依法, 享有, and 承担 and explain the legal function of each:
"根据消费者权益保护法，消费者享有知情权和选择权。商家依法承担商品质量保证义务，违法行为将依法受到处罚。"
Exercise 2: Translation Translate into formal legal Chinese:
- Pursuant to the Constitution, every citizen is entitled to the right to education.
- In accordance with this provision, enterprises must bear the responsibility of environmental protection.
- The court will adjudicate this case in accordance with the law.
Exercise 3: Short Writing Task Write a 100-120 character formal notice (通知) from a government agency informing residents about a new regulation. You must include 根据, 依法, and either 权利 or 义务. The topic can be anything plausible: traffic rules, waste sorting, noise restrictions.
Cultural or Academic Note
The concept of 依法治国 (yīfǎ zhì guó, "governing the country in accordance with the law") was formally adopted as a national strategy at the Fourth Plenary Session of the 15th CPC Central Committee in 1999 and has been further elaborated in the Xi Jinping era as 全面依法治国 (comprehensive rule of law). This represents a significant evolution from earlier governance models in which party directives took precedence over formal legal norms.
However, foreign learners should be aware that the Chinese concept of "rule of law" is contested. Western liberal frameworks distinguish sharply between "rule of law" (where the government itself is bound by law) and "rule by law" (where law is a tool of governance but not a constraint on those who govern). Chinese official discourse tends to blend these concepts, emphasizing law as an instrument for achieving social order and state goals rather than as a check on state power. Recognizing this conceptual difference is not merely academic — it shapes how legal texts are written, how rights are framed, and how political legitimacy is constructed in China.