依法
yīfǎ · HSK 5
in conformity with legal provisions
⚖️📜 依 = rely on + 法 = law; rely-on-law = lawfully
依 means to rely on or according to; 法 means law or method. Together: acting according to the law. The 'wrongfully' gloss is misleading — the core sense is doing things by-the-book, legally sanctioned.
依 — person radical 亻 + clothing 衣
A semantic-phonetic compound: 亻(person) gives the meaning of relying on someone, while 衣 (yī, clothing) supplies the sound. The original sense pictured a person leaning on or wrapped in clothing, extended to the modern meanings of 'rely on,' 'depend on,' and 'according to.'
法 — water 氵 + go 去
Originally written 灋, combining the water radical 氵 (suggesting a level standard, like water finding its level), the mythical beast 廌 (which judged guilt), and 去 (to remove or banish). The 廌 was later dropped, leaving 法. The core meaning evolved from 'law' or 'standard' to also include 'method' and 'way of doing'.