查账 (chá zhàng) — to audit or examine financial accounts | tongtong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

A 离合词 (separable verb): 查 + 账, often split with a 了/了 or with the object inserted (查三天账). It specifically means auditing or reviewing financial accounts, not investigating people or records in general.

verb

to audit or examine financial accounts

Examples

查账。
Gōng sī měi nián dōu yào chá zhàng.
The company audits accounts every year.
，。
Tā chá le sān tiān zhàng, zhōng yú fā xiàn le wèn tí.
He checked the accounts for three days and finally found the problem.
查账。
Zhè xiē jiù zhàng xū yào chóng xīn chá zhàng.
These old accounts need to be re-audited.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

查cháexamine

账zhàngaccounts

“查” (examine) and “账” (accounts) mean to examine accounts.

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

木木mùwood

Sound part声符shēngfú

且

且qiě查chá

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

查 pairs 木 (wood) with 且, which shows the sound. It originally meant a hawthorn tree or a wooden raft.

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 賬; 账 is its simplified writing.

貝長賬

Meaning part形符xíngfú

貝貝bèishell

Sound part声符shēngfú

長

長cháng賬

Same sound today

In the traditional form 賬, 貝 is a shell and 長 is used for the sound; the simplified 账 is a later shorthand, not the historical shape.

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