旧账 (jiù zhàng) — old debt; overdue account; (figurative) old gru… | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

Literally 'old account' — refers to debts long past due, and by extension, old grudges still unsettled. The figurative sense (reviving past quarrels) is the more common everyday usage, as in 翻旧账 (bring up old scores).

noun

old debtoverdue account(figurative) old grudgepast grievance to settle

Measure word · 笔

Examples

旧账。
Tā bǎ jiù zhàng dōu huán qīng le.
He paid off all his old debts.
旧账，。
Bié zǒng shì fān jiù zhàng, wǒ men yīng gāi wǎng qián kàn.
Don't always bring up old scores; we should look forward.
，旧账。
Zhè jiàn shì yǐ jīng guò qù le, bú yào zài tí jiù zhàng le.
This matter is over; don't bring up old grievances again.

Origin

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.

账zhàngaccount

旧 old and 账 account combine to mean an old debt or grudge.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 舊; 旧 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

雈雈huánowl

Sound part声符shēngfú

臼

臼jiù舊jiù

Same sound today

The traditional form of 旧 is 舊, which shows 雈, an owl, above 臼, which gives the sound.

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 賬; 账 is its simplified writing.

貝長賬

Meaning part形符xíngfú

貝貝bèishell

Sound part声符shēngfú

長

長cháng賬

Same sound today

In the traditional form 賬, 貝 is a shell and 長 is used for the sound; the simplified 账 is a later shorthand, not the historical shape.

Appears in

Finance & Banking

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