赋税 (fù shuì) — (noun) taxes, taxation; (verb-object) to levy taxes

Definition

赋税 is a formal-written term for 'taxes / taxation', referring to the system of levies a state collects. As a verb-object phrase it means to levy taxes, more literary than the everyday 税.

noun
taxestaxation(verb-object) to levy taxes

Examples

  • 赋税。
    Gǔ dài nóng mín yào jiāo hěn duō fù shuì.
    Ancient farmers had to pay many taxes.
  • 。
    Zhèng fǔ qù nián fù le xīn de shuì.
    The government levied new taxes last year.
  • 赋税。
    Guó jiā tōng guò fù shuì lái jiàn shè jī chǔ shè shī.
    The country uses taxes to build infrastructure.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

赋fùtax
税shuìtax

赋 and 税 both refer to taxes, so together they mean taxation.

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 賦; 赋 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
貝貝bèishell; money
Sound part声符shēngfú
武
武wǔ賦fù
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

For 赋, the form 賦 has 貝 (shell; money) contributing to the meaning of collecting taxes, while 武 gives the sound.

Open 赋 →

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 →

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.