洗钱 (xǐ qián) — to launder money | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

Means 'to launder money' — to disguise illegally obtained money as legitimate. A formal/legal term commonly seen in news and crime reporting.

verb

to launder money

洗钱。
Tā men lì yòng kōng ké gōng sī lái xǐ qián.
They use shell companies to launder money.
。
Jǐng fāng chá huò le yì qǐ xǐ le dà bǐ qián de àn jiàn.
The police uncovered a case where a large sum of money had been laundered.
洗钱。
Tā yīn wèi cān yù xǐ qián bèi pàn le shí nián.
He was sentenced to ten years for participating in money laundering.

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

The sense of 洗 applied to 钱 creates a metaphor for making illegally obtained money look legitimate.

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

Sound part声符shēngfú

先

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

洗 is built from 水 (water) and 先, which gives the character its 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 錢; 钱 is its simplified writing.

金戔錢

Meaning part形符xíngfú

金金jīnmetal; gold; money

Sound part声符shēngfú

戔

戔jiān錢qián

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 錢 combines 金, meaning metal or money, with 戔, which gives the sound; the simplified 钱 is a later shorthand.

Appears in