现钞 (xiàn chāo) — cash (as opposed to check or electronic payment) | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

现钞 specifically means physical paper money and coins, contrasted with checks, cards, or digital payments. Compared to the everyday word 现金, it sounds more formal and is common in banking contexts.

noun

cash (as opposed to check or electronic payment)

Examples

现钞？
Qǐng wèn nǐ men shōu xiàn chāo ma?
Excuse me, do you accept cash?
现钞，？
Wǒ shēn shàng dài de xiàn chāo bú gòu, néng shuā kǎ ma?
I don't have enough cash on me; can I pay by card?
现钞。
Zài guó wài lǚ xíng zuì hǎo huàn chéng dāng dì xiàn chāo.
When traveling abroad, it's best to exchange into local cash.

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.

现xiànmoney on hand

钞chāobanknote

现 means money on hand and 钞 means banknote, together meaning cash.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 現; 现 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

玉玉yùjade

Sound part声符shēngfú

見

見jiàn現

Same sound today

The traditional form 現 pairs 玉 (jade) with 見 as a sound part; the simplified 现 is a shorthand, and its parts are not the historical parts.

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 鈔; 钞 is its simplified writing.

金少鈔

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

少

少shǎo鈔chāo

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The form 鈔 has 金 as the meaning part and 少 for the sound.

Appears in

Money & Currency

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