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划算 (huá suàn) — (adjective) worthwhile, cost-effective, a good deal; (verb) to calculate, to weigh up (pros and cons)

Definition

As an adjective, 划算 means 'a good deal / worth it' — close to 划得来 but more common in writing. As a verb, it means to calculate whether something pays off, narrower than 衡量 (which weighs any decision, not just cost).

adjective
worthwhilecost-effectivea good deal
verb
to calculateto weigh up (pros and cons)

Examples

  • 划算。
    Zhè ge jià gé hěn huá suàn.
    This price is very cost-effective.
  • 划算。
    Mǎi èr sòng yī de huó dòng zhēn huá suàn.
    The buy-two-get-one-free promotion is really a good deal.
  • 划算。
    Tā zǐ xì huá suàn le yí xià chéng běn.
    He carefully calculated the costs.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

划huàplan
算suàncompute

划 (plan) and 算 (compute) combine to mean weighing whether something is worthwhile.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
刀刀dāo
Sound part声符shēngfú
戈
戈gē划huá
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

划 is made of 刀, a knife, and 戈, a weapon. The 戈 part gives the sound.

Open 划 →

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

The current form 算 has 竹 on top, 目 in the middle, and 廾 below; the 目 part may have originally drawn counting rods, often made of bamboo.

Open 算 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Good & BadShopping & Errands

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