to stipulate; regulation; rule
HSK level
规定 is written with 16 strokes (规: 8, 定: 8). The animation replays automatically.
规定 (guīdìng) is both a verb meaning 'to stipulate, prescribe, or officially set' and a noun meaning 'regulation, rule, or provision.'
As a verb it names the act of an authority fixing something in advance — a company 规定 working hours, a law 规定 penalties. As a noun it refers to the resulting rule itself, usually written or institutional. Unlike English 'rule,' which covers everything from board games to grammar, 规定 carries a sense of official issuance: it is handed down by a company, school, government, or contract, not casually agreed among friends.
For informal, unwritten social norms — how to behave at a dinner table — Chinese uses 规矩 (guīju) instead. 规定 is neutral in register but common in formal notices, contracts, and workplace contexts.
Note: Leans slightly formal or official. Everyday spoken 'rule' is often 规矩 (guīju); 规定 is the word for written or institutional rules.
Character by character
Memory hook: 规 (a standard) + 定 (to fix) = to fix a standard, i.e. to stipulate a rule.
公司规定我们九点上班。
Gōngsī guīdìng wǒmen jiǔ diǎn shàngbān.
The company requires us to start work at nine.
neutral
这是学校的规定，我也没办法。
Zhè shì xuéxiào de guīdìng, wǒ yě méi bànfǎ.
This is the school's rule, there's nothing I can do about it.
spoken
请大家按照规定排队。
Qǐng dàjiā ànzhào guīdìng páiduì.
Please everyone line up according to the rules.
neutral
法律规定不能在这里停车。
Fǎlǜ guīdìng bù néng zài zhèlǐ tíngchē.
The law stipulates that parking is not allowed here.
formal
规矩 is informal, unwritten social custom or etiquette ('the way things are done'). 规定 is an official, usually written rule. You follow 规矩 out of manners; you follow 规定 because an authority set it.
制度 is a whole system or institution (a set of rules and structures). 规定 is a single rule or provision. A company's 管理制度 contains many individual 规定.
规则 stresses the rules of a game, sport, or procedure that everyone plays by. 规定 stresses a rule issued by an authority. Sports have 规则; workplaces issue 规定.
Acquire it by listening
Fluentide turns real news into Chinese listening at your exact level, so words like 规定 show up again and again in natural sentences — with pinyin and translation every time. No flashcards. Free to start.
Tools
