租 (zū) — to rent (as a tenant); to hire; to rent out; to lease out
Definition
租 (zū) covers both directions: 'to rent' (as tenant) and 'to rent out' (as landlord). It is the everyday verb for housing, cars, equipment — broader than the formal 租赁 and more common than 出租 (which leans toward renting out).
verb
to rent (as a tenant)to hireto rent outto lease out
Easily confused
Examples
- 租。Wǒ xiǎng zū yí tào gōng yù.I want to rent an apartment.
- 租？Zhè liàng chē zū yì tiān duō shǎo qián?How much does it cost to rent this car for a day?
- 租。Tā dǎ suàn bǎ diàn miàn zū chū qù.He plans to rent out the storefront.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.
租 uses 禾 (grain) because land rent was paid in grain, and 且 shows the pronunciation.
Appears in
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