收款 (shōu kuǎn) — to collect payment, to receive money | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

Business term meaning 'to collect payment / receive money' from a customer or client. Used formally in commerce; differs from 付钱 (paying out) and 付款 (making a payment).

verb

to collect paymentto receive money

Examples

收款。
Wǒ men gōng sī měi yuè dǐ shōu kuǎn.
Our company collects payments at the end of each month.
。
Tā yǐ jīng shōu le sān bǐ kuǎn le.
He has already collected three payments.
收款。
Qǐng dào qián tái shōu kuǎn.
Please go to the front desk to make a payment.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

收shōureceive

款kuǎnpayment

“收” means receive and “款” means payment, together describing collecting money.

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

攴攴pū

Sound part声符shēngfú

丩

丩jiū收shōu

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

收 uses 攴 to show an action and 丩 as a sound clue; the old meaning was 'to arrest.'

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

欠欠qiànlacking, desire

Sound part声符shēngfú

柰

柰nài款kuǎn

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

款 pairs 柰, a sound hint, with 欠, a part about lacking or desire.

Appears in

Money & Currency

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