赎回 (shú huí) — to redeem, to ransom, to buy back | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

赎回 (shúhuí) means 'to buy back' something previously given as security, pawned, or issued — used in finance (redeeming bonds), pawnshops, and ransoming hostages/pledged items.

verb

to redeemto ransomto buy back

Examples

赎回。
Tā huā le hěn duō qián shú huí nà fú huà.
He spent a lot of money to redeem that painting.
赎回。
Gōng sī jué dìng shú huí suǒ yǒu fā xíng de zhài quàn.
The company decided to redeem all issued bonds.
赎回。
Rén zhì zhōng yú bèi shú huí le.
The hostage was finally ransomed.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

补充bǔchōngVerb + complement

An action followed by its result or direction.

赎 gives the idea of redeeming or ransoming, and 回 adds the sense of back.

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 贖; 赎 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

貝貝bèishell

Sound part声符shēngfú

𧶠

𧶠𧶠贖shú

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

The traditional form 贖 pairs 貝 (shell) with the sound part 𧶠; the simplified 赎 is a shorthand, and its parts are not the historical components.

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

回 comes from a drawing of a spiral, showing something turning around.

Appears in

Finance & Banking

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