By a case study of the distribution of three morphemes di(地), quan(权) and zui(罪) in 300 Chinese laws, this essay reports the phenomenon that some bound morphemes commonly thought as being roots, in certain environments, are (1) productive in forming new complex words (2) semantically rigid without triggering idiosyncratic meanings in such complex words (3) always appearing on the final position and (4) serving as the head of the complex words, thus exhibiting the traits of being affixes. But they are not so affixish in that (1) they are not bleached in meaning (2) they are not phonologically eroded (3) they are not specifically selective on the category of their hosts. The result shows the emergence in Mandarin Chinese of derivational affixes that originated from roots.