本金 (běn jīn) — capital (funds used for investment or business); principal (original sum of money, as opposed to interest)

Definition

Strictly the original sum of money put in or loaned — the base before interest or returns. Use 本金, not 资本, when emphasizing 'principal' in a financial transaction.

noun
capital (funds used for investment or business)principal (original sum of money, as opposed to interest)

Examples

  • 本金。
    Tā tóu zī de běn jīn sǔn shī le yí bàn.
    He lost half of his capital investment.
  • 本金。
    Yín háng dài kuǎn de lì xī bǐ běn jīn hái gāo.
    The loan interest is even higher than the principal.
  • 本金。
    Gōng sī xū yào zēng jiā běn jīn lái kuò dà yè wù.
    The company needs to increase capital to expand its business.

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.

本běnprincipal
金jīnmoney

本 means principal, 金 means money, giving the original capital.

Characters in this word

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

本 adds a stroke at the bottom of a tree shape to mark the roots, giving the sense of foundation or original.

Open 本 →

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

金 was drawn with marks for two pieces of metal, along with a part that gave its sound; it first meant copper, then metals and gold.

Open 金 →

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