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本钱 (běn qián) — capital (money used to start or operate a business); (figurative) asset; advantage; the means to do something

Definition

本钱 is everyday 'capital' — the concrete money or assets you start or run a business with, or the personal resources/advantages you draw on. 资金 and 资本 are more formal/economic; 优势 is abstract superiority, not what you spend.

noun
capital (money used to start or operate a business)(figurative) assetadvantagethe means to do something

Examples

  • 本钱。
    Tā kào jiè lái de běn qián kāi le yì jiā xiǎo diàn.
    He opened a small shop with borrowed capital.
  • 本钱。
    Tā de jīng yàn hé rén mài shì tā zuì dà de běn qián.
    Her experience and connections are her greatest asset.
  • 本钱。
    Tā yǒu zú gòu de běn qián qù shí xiàn zì jǐ de mèng xiǎng.
    He has enough means to realize his dream.

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běnroot/base
钱qiánmoney

"本" means root/base and "钱" means money; together they mean money used as a base.

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.

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
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9HSK 2.0 Level 6Finance & Banking

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