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报销 (bào xiāo) — to apply for reimbursement (of expenses); to write off; to eliminate

Definition

报销 has two distinct senses: the everyday 'to apply for reimbursement' (expenses, travel costs), and an accounting/financial 'to write off' (assets, debts). It is not a synonym of 消灭/灭绝 — those are about physical destruction or extinction.

verb
to apply for reimbursement (of expenses)to write offto eliminate

Examples

  • 报销。
    Wǒ xià ge yuè zhǔn bèi bào xiāo zhè cì chū chāi de fèi yòng.
    I plan to submit the expenses from this business trip for reimbursement next month.
  • ，报销。
    Zhè tái jiù diàn nǎo yòng le hǎo jǐ nián, zǎo jiù gāi bào xiāo le.
    This old computer has been used for several years and should be written off long ago.
  • 报销。
    Dí rén bèi wǒ men de bù duì yì jǔ bào xiāo le.
    The enemy was wiped out by our troops in one fell swoop.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
补充bǔchōngVerb + complement

An action followed by its result or direction.

报bàoreport
销xiāowrite off

报 “report” and 销 “write off”: submitting an expense so it can be written off.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 報; 报 is its simplified writing.

  • 㚔㚔㚔handcuffs
  • 𠬝𠬝𠬝to subdue

The traditional form 報 puts 㚔 (handcuffs) beside 𠬝 (to subdue), showing someone restrained and subdued, as in convicting or punishing a guilty person. The simplified 报 is a later shorthand.

Open 报 →

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 銷; 销 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
金金jīn
Sound part声符shēngfú
肖
肖xiào銷xiāo
Same sound today

The traditional form 銷 pairs 金 (metal) with 肖 as a sound part; simplified 销 is a later shorthand, and its parts are not historical components.

Open 销 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9HSK 2.0 Level 6Finance & Banking

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