在岸 (zài àn) — onshore; at the shore or bank; (finance) onshore (as opposed to offshore, referring to domestic market operations)

Definition

In finance, 在岸 ('onshore') contrasts with 离岸 — it refers to domestic-market transactions in the local currency and regulations. Literally it can also mean 'at the shore/bank', but learners mostly meet this word in the financial sense (在岸人民币).

onshoreat the shore or bank(finance) onshore (as opposed to offshore, referring to domestic market operations)
Easily confused

Examples

  • 在岸。
    Zhè jiā gōng sī de zhǔ yào yè wù shì zài àn tóu zī.
    This company's main business is onshore investment.
  • ，在岸。
    Wǒ men yán zhe hǎi àn xiàn zǒu, zhōng yú dào le zài àn.
    We walked along the coastline and finally reached the shore.
  • 在岸。
    zài àn Rén mín bì shì chǎng de jiāo yì liàng zhú nián shàng shēng.
    The trading volume in the onshore renminbi market increases year by year.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

在zàiat
岸ànshore

在 means to be at and 岸 means shore, so it denotes being at the shore.

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.

The early form of 在 used 才 for its sound; a second sound part 士 was added later, and that 士 became the 土 seen in 在.

Open 在 →

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
屵屵àncliff
Sound part声符shēngfú
干
干gān岸àn
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

岸 shows 屵, a cliff, next to 干, which gives a clue to the sound; together they point to the edge of land.

Open 岸 →

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