An investigation of Chinese legal concepts: Evidence from the ancient scripts ‘ 法 ’ and ‘ 罪 ’

Abstract

The original meaning of the character ‘灋’ (fǎ) was ‘to abolish’ or ‘to do away with’. The ‘judging power’ of the component ‘廌’ (zhì) emerged later, accompanying the transformation of ‘灋’ into ‘法’. Oracle bone inscriptions of ‘廌’ depict sacrificial animals. In Western Zhou bronze inscriptions, ‘廌’ within the character ‘慶’ (qìng – celebration) carries the meaning of ‘auspiciousness’ or ‘good fortune’, laying the foundation for its transformation into a mythical judging beast. The replacement of ‘辠’ (zuì) with ‘罪’ was not solely Qin Shi Huang's innovation. The weapon-like nature of ‘网’ (wǎng – net), used against enemies, established its status as a legal instrument.