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社会保险 (shè huì bǎo xiǎn) — social insurance; social security system

Definition

Social insurance (China's mandatory system): pension, medical, and unemployment insurance funded by employer and employee contributions. 社保 is the everyday spoken short form.

noun
social insurancesocial security system

Examples

  • ，社会保险。
    Zài zhōng guó, měi gè zhí gōng dōu yào cān jiā shè huì bǎo xiǎn.
    In China, every worker must participate in social insurance.
  • 社会保险、。
    shè huì bǎo xiǎn Bāo kuò yǎng lǎo, yī liáo hé shī yè sān xiàng bǎo xiǎn.
    Social insurance includes pension, medical, and unemployment insurance.
  • 社会保险。
    Gōng sī měi gè yuè dōu huì wèi nǐ jiāo shè huì bǎo xiǎn.
    The company pays social insurance for you every month.

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.

社会society
社shècommunity会huìassociation
联合Coordinate
保险insurance
保bǎoprotect险xiǎnrisk
动宾Verb + object

社会 (society) specifies the kind of 保险 (insurance), forming social security.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

社 joins 示 (god; deity) and 土 (soil), so its shape is about the god of the land.

Open 社 →

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 會; 会 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
合合héto meet
Sound part声符shēngfú
𡆧
𡆧𡆧會huì
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

Traditional 會 pairs 合 (to meet) with 𡆧, an original form for ironware, to give the sound. The simplified 会 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the original parts.

Open 会 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

保 originally showed a person 人 carrying a child 子 on their back, which led to the sense of protecting.

Open 保 →

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 險; 险 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
阝Written in full as阜fù
Sound part声符shēngfú
僉
僉qiān險
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 險 pairs 阝, written in full as 阜, with 僉, which gives the sound; the simplified 险 is a shorthand.

Open 险 →
Appears in
Finance & BankingSociety & Public Life

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