规律 (guīlǜ) — law, rule, regularity

规律 (guīlǜ)

规律 refers to a regular pattern, law, or principle that governs natural phenomena or social processes. Unlike 规则 (a specific rule one follows), 规律 is an objective pattern that exists whether or not it is articulated. It is frequently used in scientific, philosophical, and academic writing to describe invariant principles.

Meanings

1. [n] law, regularity (an objective pattern in nature or society)
2. [n] rule, principle (a systematic pattern of behavior or occurrence)

Example Sentences

科学家们花了数十年研究宇宙运行的规律。 Kēxuéjiāmen huāle shùshí nián yánjiū yǔzhòu yùnxíng de guīlǜ. Scientists spent decades studying the laws governing the operation of the universe.

违背自然规律的行为终将受到惩罚。 Wéibèi zìrán guīlǜ de xíngwéi zhōng jiāng shòudào chéngfá. Behavior that violates natural laws will ultimately be punished.

掌握语言习得的规律，才能事半功倍地学习外语。 Zhǎngwò yǔyán xídé de guīlǜ, cái néng shìbàngōngbèi de xuéxí wàiyǔ. Only by mastering the laws of language acquisition can one learn a foreign language with twice the result for half the effort.

经济发展有其内在规律，不能单凭行政命令来干预。 Jīngjì fāzhǎn yǒu qí nèizài guīlǜ, bù néng dān píng xíngzhèng mìnglìng lái gānyù. Economic development has its own internal laws and cannot be interfered with by administrative orders alone.

他通过长期观察，总结出了市场波动的规律。 Tā tōngguò chángqī guānchá, zǒngjié chūle shìchǎng bōdòng de guīlǜ. Through long-term observation, he summarized the patterns of market fluctuation.

历史发展的规律表明，任何封闭的制度都难以长久维持。 Lìshǐ fāzhǎn de guīlǜ biǎomíng, rènhé fēnbì de zhìdù dōu nányǐ chángjiǔ wéichí. The laws of historical development show that no closed system can be maintained for long.

Collocations

Usage Notes

规律 is an abstract noun used most often in formal, academic, and scientific contexts. It pairs naturally with verbs like 遵循 (to follow), 掌握 (to grasp), 总结 (to summarize), and 违背 (to violate). The phrase 有规律 means "regular, patterned," while 没有规律 means "irregular, random." Do not confuse 规律 with 规则: 规则 (guīzé) refers to a concrete, prescribed rule that people are expected to observe (e.g., traffic rules), whereas 规律 describes a natural or social pattern that exists independently.

The adjective form 有规律的 can modify nouns: 有规律的生活 (a regular, well-ordered lifestyle). At C1 level, learners should be able to distinguish between 规律、规则、规定 and 原则 with precision.

Memory Hook

Think of 规 (rule) + 律 (rhythm/law) — a "rhythmic rule" is a pattern that repeats with natural regularity, like the beat of the universe.