贴现 (tiē xiàn) — to discount (a promissory note or bill of exchange)

Definition

A finance/banking verb: when a bank buys a bill of exchange (汇票) or promissory note before its due date at a reduced face value. Transitive, takes a bill or note as its object.

verb
to discount (a promissory note or bill of exchange)

Examples

  • 贴现。
    Yín háng kě yǐ tiē xiàn shāng yè huì piào.
    Banks can discount commercial drafts.
  • 。
    Tā zuó tiān tiē le yí cì xiàn.
    He discounted once yesterday.
  • 。
    Gōng sī xū yào tiē yì zhāng xiàn.
    The company needs to discount one note.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

贴tiēpay out
现xiàncash

“贴” (pay out) and “现” (cash) combine to mean pay cash now for a future bill, discounting it.

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 貼; 贴 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
貝貝bèishell
Sound part声符shēngfú
占
占zhàn貼tiē
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 貼 pairs 貝, a shell, with 占 as a sound part; the simplified 贴 is a later shorthand.

Open 贴 →

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.

Open 现 →

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