工钱 (gōng qián) — (colloquial) wages, pay (for manual labor or sh…

Definition

Colloquial term for wages or labor charges, typically for manual or short-term work and repair services. Pairs with the measure word 份.

noun

(colloquial) wagespay (for manual labor or short-term work)service chargelabor cost (for repairs, services, etc.)

Measure word · 份

，工钱。
Tā gān le yì tiān huó, lǎo bǎn gěi le yì bǎi kuài gōng qián.
He worked for a day, and the boss gave him a hundred kuai in wages.
工钱？
Xiū kōng tiáo de shī fu shōu le duō shǎo gōng qián?
How much did the air conditioner repairman charge for labor?
工钱，。
Zhè ge yuè gōng qián hái méi fā, wǒ yǒu diǎn zháo jí.
My pay hasn't been given out yet this month, and I'm a bit worried.

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.

工 and 钱 combine to mean money paid for work.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The shape of 工 is a picture of a bladed tool used to plow ground or mark a border; some read it as a carpenter's square.

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 錢; 钱 is its simplified writing.

金戔錢

Meaning part形符xíngfú

金金jīnmetal; gold; money

Sound part声符shēngfú

戔

戔jiān錢qián

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

The traditional form 錢 combines 金, meaning metal or money, with 戔, which gives the sound; the simplified 钱 is a later shorthand.

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