课税 (kè shuì) — to levy/impose a tax (on something)

Definition

Formal/translated verb meaning 'to levy or impose a tax on something' — used in fiscal, legal, and economic contexts rather than everyday speech. The agent (government, company) is the subject; 税收 is the noun for the taxes collected.

verb
to levy/impose a tax (on something)

Examples

  • 课税。
    Zhèng fǔ yào duì shē chǐ pǐn kè shuì.
    The government will levy taxes on luxury goods.
  • 。
    Jīn nián yǐ jīng kè le liǎng cì shuì le.
    Taxes have already been levied twice this year.
  • 课税。
    Gōng sī xiàng jìn kǒu shāng pǐn kè shuì.
    The company levies taxes on imported goods.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

课kèto levy
税shuìtax

课 means 'to levy' and 税 means 'tax', so the whole is 'to levy a tax'.

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 課; 课 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yánto say
Sound part声符shēngfú
果
果guǒ課kè
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 課 pairs 言 (to say) with 果 as a sound part; the simplified 课 is a shorthand and its right side is not a sound part.

Open 课 →

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 →

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