资 (zī) — (bound form) capital; money; funds; (bound form) qualifications; ability; record of service; (bound form) to subsidize; to support; to provide
Definition
资 (zī) is a bound form — it almost never stands alone, and only appears inside compounds like 资本, 资格, or 资助. Think of it as the root meaning 'capital / qualifications / to fund', with the second word carrying the specific sense.
bound form
capitalmoneyfundsqualificationsabilityrecord of serviceto subsidizeto supportto provide
Examples
- 。Zhè jiā gōng sī yǒu zú gòu de zī běn.This company has sufficient capital.
- 。Tā huò dé le cān jiā bǐ sài de zī gé.She obtained the qualifications to participate in the competition.
- 。Zhèng fǔ zī zhù le zhè ge jiào yù xiàng mù.The government subsidized this educational project.
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.
This origin belongs to the traditional form 資; 资 is its simplified writing.
Meaning part形符xíngfú
貝貝bèishell-money
Sound part声符shēngfú
次
次cì資zī
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.
The traditional form 資 puts 次 above 貝, a shell-money sign, to write property or resource; 次 supplies the sound. The simplified 资 is a shorthand, so do not treat its parts as historical.
Appears in
Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.