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还款 (huán kuǎn) — to repay a loan; to pay back money

Definition

Formal/business term meaning 'to repay a loan,' used in banking and contracts. Everyday speech prefers the verb 还 (huán) by itself or 偿还.

verb
to repay a loanto pay back money

Examples

  • 还款。
    Měi gè yuè wǒ dōu yào huán kuǎn.
    I have to repay the loan every month.
  • 。
    Tā yǐ jīng hái le yí bàn de kuǎn.
    He has already repaid half of the loan.
  • 还款。
    Nǐ yí dìng yào àn shí huán kuǎn.
    You must repay the loan on time.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

还háipay back
款kuǎnmoney

还 means pay back, and 款 means money; together they describe paying back money.

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 還; 还 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
辵辵chuòwalk
Sound part声符shēngfú
睘
睘qióng還hái
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 還 pairs 辵 (walk) with 睘 as a sound part for 'go back; return'; the simplified 还 is a shorthand, and its parts are not the historical components.

Open 还 →

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
欠欠qiànlacking, desire
Sound part声符shēngfú
柰
柰nài款kuǎn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

款 pairs 柰, a sound hint, with 欠, a part about lacking or desire.

Open 款 →
Appears in
Finance & Banking

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