正式
zhèngshì · HSK 3
formal (of actions/speeches/etc.)
📜 正式 = 正 (correct/upright) + 式 (style/ceremony) → official style
正 means correct or proper; 式 means form, style, or ceremony. Together they describe something done in the correct, proper form — i.e. formal or official. Think official ceremonies, formal speeches, formal agreements.
正 — one 一 + stop 止
Originally an ideograph showing a foot (止) advancing toward a target line (一), meaning 'to march straight toward' a city or goal. From this came the senses 'upright,' 'correct,' and 'proper.' The military sense survives in 征 (to campaign), which took over the original 'march' meaning.
式 — 工 (work) + 弋 (phonetic)
式 is a phono-semantic compound: 工 ('work, craft') gives the meaning of a tool, rule, or method, while 弋 supplies the sound. It originally referred to a standard pattern or model used in craftsmanship, then broadened to mean 'style, form, ceremony, or formula.'