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证券 (zhèng quàn) — security (financial instrument)

Definition

A financial-instrument term: stocks, bonds, and similar tradable assets on the market. Don't confuse with 安全 ('safe'), 证件 ('ID papers'), or 证书 ('certificate' for skills/diplomas) — 证券 is specifically about investment products.

noun
security (financial instrument)
Measure word · 只

Examples

  • 证券。
    Tā gòu mǎi le hěn duō zhèng quàn.
    He purchased a lot of securities.
  • 证券。
    zhèng quàn De jià gé yì zhí zài shàng zhǎng.
    The price of securities has been rising.
  • 证券。
    Zhè jiā gōng sī fā xíng le xīn de zhèng quàn.
    This company issued new securities.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

证zhèngcertificate
券quànticket

证 (certificate) and 券 (ticket) combine to name financial certificates or securities.

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 證; 证 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yán
Sound part声符shēngfú
登
登dēng證zhèng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 證 pairs 言, a words/speech part, with 登 as a sound clue; the simplified 证 is a later shorthand.

Open 证 →

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
刀刀dāoknife
Sound part声符shēngfú
𠔉
𠔉𠔉券quàn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

券 combines 𠔉 for the sound with 刀 (knife), because ancient contracts were cut in half.

Open 券 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Finance & Banking

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