‘宪兵’ (xiàn bīng) literally combines ‘宪’ (xiàn), meaning ‘constitution’ or ‘statute’, and ‘兵’ (bīng), meaning ‘soldier’. Together, it refers to military police — personnel who enforce military law, maintain discipline within armed forces, and handle security at military installations. Unlike civilian police, 宪兵 operate exclusively within the military chain of command and jurisdiction.

This term is commonly used in formal contexts such as news reports, historical accounts, or official documents describing armed forces in China, Japan, South Korea, and many other countries. While the People’s Liberation Army of China does not use ‘宪兵’ as an official branch title today (relying instead on internal discipline departments), the word remains widely understood and appears frequently in historical narratives, films, and discussions about foreign militaries.