报偿 (bào cháng) — to repay; to recompense

Definition

Literary verb meaning 'to repay, to recompense' — used for rewarding someone's effort or contribution with something in return, more formal than 回报.

verb
to repayto recompense

Examples

  • 报偿。
    Tā de nǔ lì zhōng yú dé dào le yīng yǒu de bào cháng.
    His efforts finally received the due recompense.
  • 报偿。
    Gōng sī yòng jiǎng jīn bào cháng yuán gōng de gòng xiàn.
    The company uses bonuses to repay employees' contributions.
  • 报偿。
    Zhè zhǒng wú sī de xíng wéi zhí dé bào cháng.
    This kind of selfless act deserves recompense.

Origin

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.

报bàorepay
偿chángcompensate

报 means to repay, and 偿 means to compensate.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 報; 报 is its simplified writing.

  • 㚔㚔㚔handcuffs
  • 𠬝𠬝𠬝to subdue

The traditional form 報 puts 㚔 (handcuffs) beside 𠬝 (to subdue), showing someone restrained and subdued, as in convicting or punishing a guilty person. The simplified 报 is a later shorthand.

Open 报 →

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.

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.

Open 偿 →

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