欠税 (qiàn shuì) — to owe taxes, to be in tax arrears

Definition

欠税 is a formal/legal verb meaning 'to owe taxes' (a status of arrears). Unlike 偷税 (evading taxes), 欠税 specifically means the tax is due but unpaid — not concealed.

verb
to owe taxesto be in tax arrears

Examples

  • 欠税。
    Zhè jiā gōng sī yīn wèi qiàn shuì bèi fá kuǎn le.
    This company was fined for owing taxes.
  • ，。
    Tā qiàn le sān nián de shuì, xiàn zài yào bǔ jiāo.
    He owes three years of taxes and now has to pay them back.
  • 欠税。
    qiàn shuì Bù hái huì yǐng xiǎng gè rén xìn yòng jì lù.
    Not paying owed taxes can affect your personal credit record.

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
税shuìtax

欠 means owing, and 税 means taxes, so together they describe owing taxes.

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
禾禾hé
Sound part声符shēngfú
兑
兑duì税shuì
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

税 pairs 禾, a grain plant, with 兑, which gives the character its sound.

Open 税 →

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.