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纸币 (zhǐ bì) — banknote, bill; paper currency (as a medium of exchange)

Definition

纸币 specifically means paper money / banknote — the physical paper form of currency, paired with 硬币 (coin). More formal than 钞票; 货币 is the broader, abstract term for currency of any form.

noun
banknotebillpaper currency (as a medium of exchange)
Measure word · 张

Examples

  • ，。
    Xiàn zài hěn duō rén yòng shǒu jī zhī fù, hěn shǎo yòng zhǐ bì le.
    Nowadays many people use mobile payments and rarely use paper currency.
  • 纸币，。
    Zhè zhāng zhǐ bì shì wǔ shí nián qián de, hěn yǒu shōu cáng jià zhí.
    This banknote is from fifty years ago and has great collectible value.
  • 纸币。
    Chū guó lǚ xíng shí zuì hǎo huàn yì xiē dāng dì zhǐ bì.
    When traveling abroad, it's best to exchange some local banknotes.

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.

纸zhǐpaper
币bìcurrency

纸 means paper and 币 means currency, so the word denotes paper money.

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 紙; 纸 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
糸糸mìsilk
Sound part声符shēngfú
氏
氏shì紙zhǐ
Same sound today

For 纸, the traditional form 紙 combines 糸 (silk) with 氏 (the sound part).

Open 纸 →

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 幣; 币 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
巾巾jīncloth
Sound part声符shēngfú
敝
敝bì幣bì
Same sound today

The traditional form 幣 combines 敝 (which gives the sound) and 巾 (cloth), and meant silk given as a gift or sacrifice; the simplified 币 is a shorthand.

Open 币 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Money & Currency

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