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分期付款 (fēn qī fù kuǎn) — to pay in installments; installment plan (method of payment)

Definition

A verb phrase meaning to pay in installments — paying for something in multiple smaller payments over time rather than all at once (一次性付款).

verb
to pay in installmentsinstallment plan (method of payment)

Examples

  • 分期付款。
    Wǒ men jué dìng fēn qī fù kuǎn mǎi yí liàng chē.
    We decided to buy a car on an installment plan.
  • 分期付款。
    fēn qī fù kuǎn Mǎi fáng zi bǐ yí cì xìng fù kuǎn yā lì xiǎo.
    Buying a house on installments is less stressful than paying a lump sum.
  • 分期付款。
    Zhè cì gòu wù wǒ xuǎn zé le fēn qī fù kuǎn de fāng shì.
    For this purchase, I chose the installment plan method.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

分期divide into periods
分fēndivide期qīperiod
动宾Verb + object
付款pay money
付fùpay款kuǎnmoney
动宾Verb + object

The dividing-periods part describes the manner, and the paying-money part gives the action, together describing installment payment.

Characters in this word

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

分 pairs 八 (to separate) with 刀 (knife), showing something cut apart with a knife.

Open 分 →

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

Meaning part形符xíngfú
日日rì
Sound part声符shēngfú
其
其qí期qī
Same sound today

The original form paired 其 for its sound with 日 (sun). A related form changed that sun to 月, and this later developed into 期.

Open 期 →

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

付 pairs 亻 (person) with 又 (hand), showing a person handing something to someone.

Open 付 →

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

Meaning part形符xíngfú
欠欠qiànlacking, desire
Sound part声符shēngfú
柰
柰nài款kuǎn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

款 pairs 柰, a sound hint, with 欠, a part about lacking or desire.

Open 款 →
Appears in
Finance & Banking

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