偿 (cháng) — to repay (a debt or loan); to compensate for (loss, damage, injury); to fulfill (an obligation or promise)
Definition
A bound/learned verb seen in formal compounds (偿还, 补偿, 如愿以偿). Used in writing to mean 'repay' debts, 'compensate' losses, or 'fulfill' a wish or promise.
bound form
to repay (a debt or loan)to compensate for (loss, damage, injury)to fulfill (an obligation or promise)
Examples
- 。Tā bì xū cháng huán yín háng de dài kuǎn.He must repay the bank loan.
- 。Gōng sī yuàn yì bǔ cháng tā de quán bù sǔn shī.The company is willing to compensate him for all his losses.
- 偿。Tā yòng le wǔ nián shí jiān cháng qīng le suǒ yǒu zhài wù.He took five years to clear all his debts.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost 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 償; 偿 is its simplified writing.
Sound part声符shēngfú
賞
賞shǎng償cháng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.
The traditional form 償 pairs 亻 (person) with 賞 as the sound part; the simplified 偿 is a later shorthand, not a historical component breakdown.
Appears in
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