TongTong
Sign in

赖账 (lài zhàng) — to renege on a debt, to default

Definition

赖账 means refusing to admit or repay a debt one owes — typically a personal, deliberate act of dodging rather than a financial default. Often used as a separable verb: 赖账 / 赖了一笔账.

verb
to renege on a debtto default

Examples

  • ，。
    Tā lài le zhàng, bù kěn hái qián.
    He reneged on the debt and refused to pay back the money.
  • 赖账，。
    Tā jīng cháng lài zhàng, méi rén yuàn yì jiè qián gěi tā.
    He often reneges on debts, so no one is willing to lend him money.
  • 赖账，。
    Zhè jiā gōng sī lài zhàng, gōng yìng shāng dōu bú zài hé zuò le.
    This company reneged on its debts, and suppliers no longer cooperate.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

赖làideny
账zhàngdebt

From 赖 deny and 账 debt, reneging on a debt.

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 賴; 赖 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
貝貝bèicowry
Sound part声符shēngfú
剌
剌là賴lài
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 賴 uses 貝 (a cowry) for profit and 剌 for the sound; the simplified 赖 is a shorthand.

Open 赖 →

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 賬; 账 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
貝貝bèishell
Sound part声符shēngfú
長
長cháng賬
Same sound today

In the traditional form 賬, 貝 is a shell and 長 is used for the sound; the simplified 账 is a later shorthand, not the historical shape.

Open 账 →
Appears in
Finance & Banking

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