规律 (guīlǜ) — law, pattern, regularity

规律 (guīlǜ)

规律 refers to a regular, predictable pattern or natural law that governs phenomena, implying an inherent order or recurring regularity that can be observed and understood.

Meanings

1. [noun] law, regularity, pattern (natural or social)
2. [noun] regular rhythm, routine (of life or events)

Example Sentences

科学研究的目的就是发现和掌握自然界的规律。 Kēxué yánjiū de mùdì jiùshì fāxiàn hé zhǎngwò zìrán jiè de guīlǜ. The purpose of scientific research is to discover and master the laws of nature.

只有遵循教育规律，才能真正提高教学质量。 Zhǐyǒu zūnxún jiàoyù guīlǜ, cái néng zhēnzhèng tígāo jiàoxué zhìliàng. Only by following the laws of education can we truly improve the quality of teaching.

他的生活很有规律，每天六点起床，十点睡觉。 Tā de shēnghuó hěn yǒu guīlǜ, měitiān liù diǎn qǐchuáng, shí diǎn shuìjiào. His life is very regular; he gets up at six and goes to sleep at ten every day.

历史的发展有其内在的规律性。 Lìshǐ de fāzhǎn yǒu qí nèizài de guīlǜ xìng. The development of history has its own inherent regularity.

市场经济的运行遵循价值规律。 Shìchǎng jīngjì de yùnxíng zūnxún jiàzhí guīlǜ. The operation of the market economy follows the law of value.

研究语言变化的规律有助于理解人类认知的本质。 Yánjiū yǔyán biànhuà de guīlǜ yǒuzhù yú lǐjiě rénlèi rènzhī de běnzhì. Studying the laws of language change helps to understand the nature of human cognition.

Collocations

Usage Notes

规律 implies a deep, inherent, and often universal pattern that can be discovered through observation and study. It differs from 规则 (rules), which are man-made and prescriptive. 规律 are descriptive -- they describe how things actually are, not how they should be. The phrase 有规律 means "regular, orderly" (describing daily routines), while 规律性 means regularity as an abstract property.

At B2 level, distinguishing between 规律 (natural/objective patterns) and 规则 (man-made rules) is important for academic and scientific writing.

Memory Hook

规 means to measure or standardize and 律 means law or rhythm -- 规律 is the measured rhythm of the universe, the regular beat that underlies all natural phenomena.