债 (zhài) — debt
Definition
债 is the noun 'debt' — the thing owed, used in phrases like 还债 (repay debt). Pairs with 欠 (the verb 'to owe'): you 欠 money and incur 债; 债务 is the formal written term for financial liabilities.
noun
debt
Measure word · 笔
Examples
- 债。Tā qiàn le yín háng yí dà bǐ zhài.He owes the bank a large debt.
- 债。Tā nǔ lì gōng zuò shì wèi le huán qīng zhài.She works hard in order to pay off her debt.
- 债。Zhè bǐ zhài yǐ jīng tuō le sān nián le.This debt has been overdue for three years.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost 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 債; 债 is its simplified writing.
Sound part声符shēngfú
責
責zé債zhài
Same sound today
The traditional form 債 combines 亻 (person) with 責 as a sound part; the simplified 债 is a later shorthand, and its right side is not the historical sound part.
Appears in
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