抵债 (dǐ zhài) — to pay a debt in kind or by labor

Definition

抵债 means paying off a debt with goods or labor instead of money — different from 还债, which is the general word for repaying any debt (usually with cash). Often takes 抵了债 / 用X抵债.

verb
to pay a debt in kind or by labor

Examples

  • 抵债。
    Tā yuàn yì yòng láo dòng dǐ zhài.
    He is willing to pay off the debt through labor.
  • 。
    Tā yòng yí liàng jiù chē dǐ le zhài.
    He used an old car to pay off the debt.
  • ，。
    Tā dǐ guò yí cì zhài, yòng de shì zì jǐ de shǒu yì.
    He once paid off a debt using his own craftsmanship.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

抵dǐoffset
债zhàidebt

抵 means to offset or pay, and 债 means debt; together they describe paying off a debt.

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
手手shǒuhand
Sound part声符shēngfú
氐
氐dī抵
Same sound today

抵 pairs 手 (hand) with 氐, which gives its sound.

Open 抵 →

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 →

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