索赔 (suǒ péi) — to claim compensation or damages

Definition

索赔 means to demand/request compensation, focused on the claimant's side. 赔偿 is the act of paying or making up for loss — one party 索赔, the other 赔偿.

verb

to claim compensation or damages

，索赔。
Shì gù fā shēng hòu, tā men xiàng bǎo xiǎn gōng sī tí chū le suǒ péi.
After the accident, they filed a claim with the insurance company.
，索赔。
Gēn jù hé tong tiáo kuǎn, mǎi fāng yǒu quán suǒ péi.
According to the contract terms, the buyer has the right to claim damages.
索赔。
Lǜ shī zhèng zài bāng kè hù chǔ lǐ suǒ péi shì yí.
The lawyer is handling the claim matters for the client.

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

赔péicompensation

索 asks for 赔, giving claim damages.

Characters in this word

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

索 combines 糸 (thread) and 𣎳 (stripping fibres from a hemp stalk), showing threads or rope being pulled out from a fabric.

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 賠; 赔 is its simplified writing.

貝咅賠

Meaning part形符xíngfú

貝貝bèishell; money

Sound part声符shēngfú

咅

咅pǒu賠péi

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

In the traditional form 賠, 貝 (shell; money) shows the idea of making amends, and 咅 supplies the sound; the simplified 赔 is a later shorthand.

Appears in