犯规
fàn guī · HSK 6
to break the rules
🚫 犯 (commit/offend) + 规 (rule) = commit-against-rule = foul
犯 carries the sense of violating or transgressing; 规 means rule or regulation. Together they literally spell out 'violate-rule' — used for sports fouls, traffic violations, and any breach of formal rules.
犯 — dog radical 犭 + 㔾 (kneeling person)
Originally a semantic-phonetic compound: the dog radical 犭 suggested an animal attacking, while 㔾 (a kneeling figure) hinted at the sound and the idea of submission or transgression. The meaning broadened from 'a beast attacking a person' to 'to violate, offend, commit (a crime),' giving modern senses like 'criminal' and 'to infringe.'