偿付 (cháng fù) — to pay back, to repay (a debt)

Definition

Formal written verb for repaying a debt or loan, common in business/financial contexts. Stronger and more official than the everyday 还.

verb

to pay backto repay (a debt)

偿付。
Tā cháng fù le suǒ yǒu de zhài wù.
He repaid all his debts.
偿付。
Tā dǎ suàn wǔ nián nèi cháng fù zhè bǐ dài kuǎn.
She plans to repay this loan within five years.
偿付。
Gōng sī bì xū zài nián dǐ qián cháng fù yín háng.
The company must pay back the bank before the end of the year.

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéSide by side

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

偿 and 付 both concern paying; together express paying back.

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 償; 偿 is its simplified writing.

亻賞償

Meaning part形符xíngfú

亻Written in full as人rén

Sound part声符shēngfú

賞

賞shǎng償cháng

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 償 pairs 亻 (person) with 賞 as the sound part; the simplified 偿 is a later shorthand, not a historical component breakdown.

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.