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Contrary to or forbidden by law, especially criminal law.
非法持有枪支是重罪。
Illegal possession of firearms is a felony.
公司因非法排放废水被罚款。
The company was fined for illegal wastewater discharge.
Commonly used in legal, regulatory, and formal contexts. Often paired with nouns like '行为' (behavior), '活动' (activity), or '组织' (organization).
Not legally or officially authorized.
非法入境者将被遣返。
Illegal immigrants will be deported.
Can describe actions, entries, or statuses that violate regulations.
'非法' emphasizes the absence of legal authorization, while '违法' (wéifǎ) implies violation of laws. '违法' can carry a moral or ethical nuance (e.g., 违法乱纪 = violating laws and discipline), whereas '非法' is strictly legal. Example: 非法入境 (illegal entry) vs. 违法犯罪 (criminal offense).
Combine '非法' with verbs like 做 (do), 进行 (carry out), or 参与 (participate in) to describe illegal actions: 非法做生意 (run illegal business), 非法进行活动 (conduct illegal activities).
Composed of '非' (not, non-) and '法' (law). '非' derives from a pictogram of a bird flying away from a nest, symbolizing negation or separation. '法' originally depicted a standard or measure, evolving to mean 'law' or 'rule'. The compound first appeared in classical Chinese texts to describe actions violating established norms.
1. '非法' is more formal than '违法' (which can imply moral wrongdoing) and is preferred in legal documents. 2. Often used as an attributive adjective (e.g., 非法行为 = illegal act). 3. In modern Chinese, it frequently appears in news reports about crimes, regulatory violations, or social issues.