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掏钱 (tāo qián) — to pay (out of one's own pocket); to fork over money

Definition

A separable verb meaning to pay out of one's own pocket — emphasizes that the money comes from you personally, often reluctantly or as a notable sacrifice. Common in patterns like 掏钱买/为…掏钱.

verb
to pay (out of one's own pocket)to fork over money

Examples

  • 掏钱。
    Zhè cì jù cān dà jiā gè zì tāo qián ba.
    Let's each pay separately for this group meal.
  • 。
    Tā mǎi fáng zi de shí hou tāo le hěn dà yì bǐ qián.
    He forked over a huge sum of money when buying the house.
  • 。
    Wǒ bú yuàn yì zài wéi zhè zhǒng xiàng mù tāo yì fēn qián.
    I'm not willing to pay a single cent for this kind of project anymore.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

掏tāopull out
钱qiánmoney

掏 and 钱 combine to mean pull out money to pay.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
扌Written in full as手shǒuhand
Sound part声符shēngfú
匋
匋táo掏tāo
Same sound today

掏 pairs 扌, the hand side, with 匋, which gives the sound. The hand part shows the action is done with the hand.

Open 掏 →

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 錢; 钱 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
金金jīnmetal; gold; money
Sound part声符shēngfú
戔
戔jiān錢qián
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 錢 combines 金, meaning metal or money, with 戔, which gives the sound; the simplified 钱 is a later shorthand.

Open 钱 →
Appears in
Money & Currency

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