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纳税 (nà shuì) — to pay taxes

Definition

Formal 'to pay taxes', used in official, legal, and written contexts. Among near-synonyms, 缴纳 and 交纳 cover a wider range of payments (fees, fines, dues); 纳税 is specific to tax.

verb
to pay taxes

Examples

  • 纳税。
    Gōng sī měi nián dōu yào nà shuì.
    The company has to pay taxes every year.
  • 。
    Zhè ge yuè yǐ jīng nà le shuì le.
    I've already paid taxes this month.
  • 纳税。
    nà shuì Shì měi gè gōng mín de yì wù.
    Paying taxes is every citizen's duty.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

纳nàhand in
税shuìtax

纳 (hand in) and 税 (tax) combine to mean hand in money required by the state.

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 納; 纳 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
糸糸mìsilk, thin thread
Sound part声符shēngfú
内
内nèi納nà
Same sound today

The traditional form 納 has 糸 (silk, thin thread) and 内, which gives the sound; the simplified 纳 is a shorthand.

Open 纳 →

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
禾禾hé
Sound part声符shēngfú
兑
兑duì税shuì
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

税 pairs 禾, a grain plant, with 兑, which gives the character its sound.

Open 税 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Government & Politics

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