懲

Signifies moral correction through punishment or reflection.

It can mean “to punish in order to reform,” but also “to be chastened and learn from experience.”

Thus, it embodies both justice and moral self-restraint — punishment aimed at improvement, not vengeance.

Phono-semantic compound composed of:

心 (마음 심) — semantic component, meaning “heart” or “mind,” indicating inner feeling, intention, or moral reflection.

徵 (부를 징) — phonetic component, providing the sound jing and implying “summoning,” “response,” or “movement of correction.”

Together, they convey the idea of “summoning the mind to correction” — that is, awakening conscience through discipline.

懲戒 (징계) — to discipline; to punish

懲罰 (징벌) — to punish; to penalize

懲惡 (징악) — to punish evil

懲治 (징치) — to correct through punishment

懲前毖後 (징전비후) — to learn from past mistakes to avoid future ones

膺懲 (응징) — to chastise; to impose retribution

懲辦 (징판) — to reprimand or penalize formally

懲創 (징창) — to correct through pain or hardship

In early Chinese philosophy and governance, 懲 was central to the idea of moral law and restorative justice.

It appeared frequently in Confucian and Legalist writings, balancing ethical education (教) with disciplinary correction (懲).

「懲惡勸善，以正天下。」

“Punish evil and encourage good, to bring the world into order” — Book of Documents (書經).

While Legalists viewed 懲 as an instrument of state order — deterrence through visible punishment — Confucians saw it as a moral act of correction, a means to restore harmony by awakening conscience.

「懲而不怨，教也。」

“To punish without hatred — that is true instruction” — Xunzi (荀子).

Thus, 懲 embodies the fusion of justice and compassion: punishment not as cruelty, but as moral medicine.

懲 symbolizes self-correction and moral discipline.

The heart radical (心) reminds us that true punishment aims not at the body but at the heart — the seat of intention.

It represents the inner act of awakening through consequence, where suffering becomes insight and wrongdoing transforms into resolve.

「懲其心而改其行。」

“Discipline the heart, and the conduct will be reformed.”

懲 teaches that correction is an act of compassion when guided by wisdom.

Whether applied to oneself or others, its goal is not retribution, but restoration.

「懲惡非怒，教人以善。」

“To punish evil is not out of anger, but to teach goodness.”

Thus, 懲 stands as a character of moral justice, introspection, and reform — the reminder that discipline, rightly given or received, is the path by which conscience is refined and virtue restored.