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获利 (huò lì) — to obtain profit, to make a profit

Definition

A formal verb meaning 'to obtain profit / make a profit,' typically used in business, finance, or reporting contexts — more written than everyday 赚钱.

verb
to obtain profitto make a profit

Examples

  • 。
    Zhè cì tóu zī ràng tā huò le hěn dà yì bǐ lì.
    This investment earned him a very large profit.
  • 。
    Gōng sī qù nián tōng guò xīn xiàng mù huò le bù shǎo lì.
    The company made quite a profit last year through the new project.
  • 获利。
    Zhǐ yǒu jiàng dī chéng běn cái néng huò lì.
    Only by reducing costs can we obtain profit.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

获huòobtain
利lìprofit

获 means obtain and 利 means profit: to obtain profit.

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 獲; 获 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
犭Written in full as犬quǎndog
Sound part声符shēngfú
蒦
蒦huò獲huò
Same sound today

The traditional form 獲 combines 犭 (dog) with 蒦, a sound part, to show catching animals with a dog. The simplified 获 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the historical components.

Open 获 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

利 combines 禾 (grain) and 刀 (knife), showing a knife used to cut grain.

Open 利 →
Appears in
Business & Commerce

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