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欠款 (qiàn kuǎn) — (verb-object) to owe money, to be in debt

Definition

欠款 is a verb-object compound: 欠 ('owe') + 款 ('payment/money'). It focuses on the outstanding debt itself rather than the act of borrowing — so it often collocates with 数额, 还清, or legal terms like 起诉.

verb
(verb-object) to owe moneyto be in debt

Examples

  • 。
    Tā qiàn le yì bǐ kuǎn.
    He owes a sum of money.
  • 。
    Zhè jiā gōng sī qiàn kuǎn hěn duō.
    This company owes a lot of money.
  • 。
    Tā yīn wèi qiàn kuǎn bèi qǐ sù le.
    He was sued because of owing money.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

欠qiànowe
款kuǎnmoney

欠 suggests owing and 款 suggests money, so 欠款 means to owe money or a debt.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

欠 is a kneeling person with an open mouth, shown in actions such as begging, speaking, blowing, singing, or being tired.

Open 欠 →

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
欠欠qiànlacking, desire
Sound part声符shēngfú
柰
柰nài款kuǎn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

款 pairs 柰, a sound hint, with 欠, a part about lacking or desire.

Open 款 →
Appears in
Finance & Banking

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