增值税 (zēng zhí shuì) — value-added tax (VAT) | tongtong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

value-added tax (VAT)

Examples

增值税。
Gòu mǎi shāng pǐn shí xū yào zhī fù zēng zhí shuì.
You need to pay VAT when purchasing goods.
增值税。
Zhè ge guó jiā de zēng zhí shuì shuì lǜ shì bǎi fēn zhī shí sān.
The VAT rate in this country is 13 percent.
增值税。
Qǐng gěi wǒ kāi yì zhāng zēng zhí shuì fā piào.
Please issue a VAT invoice for me.

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.

增值value-added

增zēngincrease值zhívalue

动宾Verb + object

增值税 is a 税 on 增 added 值 value.

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.

土曾增

Meaning part形符xíngfú

土土tǔearth

Sound part声符shēngfú

曾

曾céng增zēng

Same sound today

增 uses 土 (earth) to show that things grow in earth or are built from earth, and uses 曾 for the sound. This gives the sense of adding or increasing.

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

亻直值

Meaning part形符xíngfú

亻Written in full as人rén

Sound part声符shēngfú

直

直zhí值zhí

Same sound today

值 is made from 亻 (written in full as 人, a person) and 直, with 直 giving the sound.

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

禾兑税

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

兑

兑duì税shuì

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

税 pairs 禾, a grain plant, with 兑, which gives the character its sound.

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