捐赠 (juān zèng) — to donate, to contribute (as a gift)

Definition

捐赠 means 'to donate' — money or goods to a cause or institution, typically larger or more formal than 赠送 (giving a gift). Compare 捐献 (similar, often money/goods to relief), 贡献 (contribute effort/talent), and 捐 (the same verb, shorter).

verb
to donateto contribute (as a gift)

Examples

  • 捐赠。
    Tā jué dìng bǎ yí bù fen gōng zī juān zèng gěi hóng shí zì huì.
    He decided to donate part of his salary to the Red Cross.
  • 捐赠。
    Hěn duō qǐ yè yuàn yì xiàng zāi qū juān zèng wù zī.
    Many companies are willing to donate supplies to disaster areas.
  • 捐赠。
    Xué xiào hū yù jiā zhǎng juān zèng jiù shū gěi tú shū guǎn.
    The school called on parents to donate used books to the library.

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.

捐juāndonate
赠zènggive

捐 and 赠 both express giving, together meaning to donate as a gift.

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
扌Written in full as手shǒuhand
Sound part声符shēngfú
肙
肙yuān捐juān
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The left side 扌, from 手, shows a hand doing something. The right side 肙 gives the sound yuān.

Open 捐 →

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 贈; 赠 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
貝貝bèi
Sound part声符shēngfú
曾
曾céng贈zèng
Same sound today

The traditional form 贈 combines 貝 with 曾, which supplies the sound; the simplified 赠 is a shorthand.

Open 赠 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 6Society & Public Life5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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