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债券 (zhài quàn) — bond; debenture

Definition

A formal finance term for 'bond' — a tradable debt security. Contrast with 债 (the general debt owed) and 债务 (total liabilities); 债券 is the specific financial instrument.

noun
bonddebenture
Measure word · 张

Examples

  • 债券。
    Gōng sī fā xíng le xīn de zhài quàn lái chóu jí zī jīn.
    The company issued new bonds to raise funds.
  • 债券。
    zhài quàn De shōu yì lǜ bǐ gǔ piào wěn dìng.
    The yield on bonds is more stable than stocks.
  • 债券。
    Tā tóu zī le dà liàng cháng qī zhài quàn.
    He invested in a large number of long-term bonds.

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.

债zhàidebt
券quàncertificate

债 gives debt and 券 a certificate, together meaning a bond.

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 債; 债 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
亻Written in full as人rén
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.

Open 债 →

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
刀刀dāoknife
Sound part声符shēngfú
𠔉
𠔉𠔉券quàn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

券 combines 𠔉 for the sound with 刀 (knife), because ancient contracts were cut in half.

Open 券 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9HSK 2.0 Level 6Finance & Banking

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