税 (shuì) — tax; duty (tax)
Definition
Tax or duty paid to the government (e.g. 交税 pay tax, 税收 tax revenue). It's a financial/taxation term — not about personal responsibility like 责任 or a job role like 职务/职责.
noun
taxduty (tax)
Examples
- 税。Gōng sī měi nián yào jiāo hěn duō shuì.The company has to pay a lot of taxes every year.
- 税？Nǐ de shōu rù xū yào jiāo shuì ma?Do you need to pay tax on your income?
- 。Zhè ge guó jiā de shuì shōu zhì dù hěn fù zá.The tax system in this country is very complicated.
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.
税 pairs 禾, a grain plant, with 兑, which gives the character its sound.
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