进口税 (jìn kǒu shuì) — import duty

Definition

A tax (税) levied on goods brought into a country, the import-side counterpart to 出口税 (export duty).

noun
import duty

Examples

  • 进口税。
    Zhè ge guó jiā duì qì chē zhēng shōu gāo é jìn kǒu shuì.
    This country imposes high import duties on cars.
  • 进口税。
    Jiàng dī jìn kǒu shuì kě yǐ cù jìn guó jì mào yì.
    Lowering import duties can boost international trade.
  • 进口税。
    Tā men zhèng zài jì suàn jìn kǒu shuì de chéng běn.
    They are calculating the cost of import duties.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

进口import
进jìnenter口kǒuport
动宾Verb + object
税shuìtax

进口 (entering a port) plus 税 (tax) gives a duty on imports.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 進; 进 is its simplified writing.

  • 辵辵chuòwalk
  • 隹隹zhuīshort-tail bird

The traditional form 進 pairs 辵 (walk) with 隹 (short-tail bird): the picture showed moving forward because a bird can only walk forward, not backward. The simplified 进 is a later shorthand.

Open 进 →

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

The form 口 looks like an open mouth.

Open 口 →

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
禾禾hé
Sound part声符shēngfú
兑
兑duì税shuì
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

税 pairs 禾, a grain plant, with 兑, which gives the character its sound.

Open 税 →

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