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预付款 (yù fù kuǎn) — advance payment, prepayment

Definition

noun
advance paymentprepayment
Measure word · 笔

Examples

  • 预付款。
    Wǒ men shōu dào le kè hù de yù fù kuǎn.
    We have received the client's advance payment.
  • 预付款。
    Zhè bǐ yù fù kuǎn jiāng zài jiāo huò hòu dǐ kòu wěi kuǎn.
    This advance payment will be deducted from the final payment after delivery.
  • ，预付款。
    Rú guǒ qǔ xiāo dìng dān, yù fù kuǎn jiāng bù yǔ tuì huán.
    If the order is cancelled, the advance payment will not be refunded.

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.

预付pay in advance
预yùin advance付fùpay
偏正Modifier + head
款kuǎnpayment

预付 means to pay in advance, and 款 is a payment, so it names money paid before delivery or service.

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 預; 预 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
頁頁yè
Sound part声符shēngfú
予
予yǔ預yù
Same sound today

The traditional form 預 combines 予 for the sound and 頁 for the meaning; the simplified 预 is a later shorthand.

Open 预 →

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

付 pairs 亻 (person) with 又 (hand), showing a person handing something to someone.

Open 付 →

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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