债台高筑 (zhài tái gāo zhù) — to be heavily in debt; debt-ridden

Definition

A chengyu meaning debts have piled up so high they form a 'tall platform' — used for companies, governments, or people in deep financial trouble. Stronger and more literary than simply saying 欠钱多.

idiom
to be heavily in debtdebt-ridden

Examples

  • 债台高筑，。
    Zhè jiā gōng sī yǐ jīng zhài tái gāo zhù, miàn lín pò chǎn de fēng xiǎn.
    This company is already deeply in debt and faces the risk of bankruptcy.
  • 债台高筑，。
    Tā yīn wèi dǔ bó ér zhài tái gāo zhù, zuì hòu bù dé bú mài diào fáng zi.
    He became heavily in debt due to gambling and eventually had to sell his house.
  • 债台高筑，。
    Zhèng fǔ rú guǒ zhài tái gāo zhù, jiù huì yǐng xiǎng gōng gòng fú wù de zhì liàng.
    If the government is deeply in debt, it will affect the quality of public services.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
主谓zhǔwèiSubject + predicate

A small sentence frozen into a word: something, and what it does or is.

债台tower of debt
债zhàidebt台táiplatform or tower
偏正Modifier + head
高筑built high
高gāohigh筑zhùbuild
偏正Modifier + head

债台 is a tower of debt, and 高筑 says it is built high, picturing enormous debt.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 債; 债 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
亻Written in full as人rén
Sound part声符shēngfú
責
責zé債zhài
Same sound today

The traditional form 債 combines 亻 (person) with 責 as a sound part; the simplified 债 is a later shorthand, and its right side is not the historical sound part.

Open 债 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 臺; 台 is its simplified writing.

The simplified 台 stands for more than one traditional character. In most words (窗台, 电视台) it is 臺; in others (台灯, 台球) (台风) it is 檯 or 台 or 颱.

The traditional form 臺 is the 喬 + 室 form; earlier versions combined a sound part with 室, and an old reading saw it as a watch tower.

Open 台 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

高 was drawn as a tall building.

Open 高 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 築; 筑 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
木木mùwood
Sound part声符shēngfú
筑
筑zhù築zhù
Same sound today

The traditional form 築 pairs 木 (wood) with 筑, which gives the sound; the simplified 筑 is a later shorthand.

Open 筑 →

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