超额 (chāo é) — to exceed a quota, to surpass a target

Definition

A formal verb meaning 'to exceed a quota or target' (e.g. sales, production). Used in business and official contexts, not everyday speech.

verb
to exceed a quotato surpass a target

Examples

  • 超额。
    Zhè ge yuè wǒ men chāo é wán chéng le xiāo shòu rèn wu.
    We exceeded the sales target this month.
  • ，。
    Gōng sī jīn nián yǐ jīng chāo le é, bú yòng zài gǎn gōng le.
    The company has already exceeded the quota this year, so there's no need to rush work.
  • 超额。
    Tā lián xù sān gè yuè chāo é wán chéng shēng chǎn zhǐ biāo.
    He exceeded the production target for three consecutive months.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

超chāoexceed
额équota

超 means exceed, and 额 is quota, together describing surpassing a target.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
走走zǒurun
Sound part声符shēngfú
召
召zhào超chāo
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

超 pairs 走, meaning “run,” with 召, which gives the sound.

Open 超 →

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 額; 额 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
頁頁yèhead
Sound part声符shēngfú
客
客kè額é
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 額 combines 頁 (head), which points to the meaning, with 客, which gives the sound. The simplified 额 is a later abbreviation.

Open 额 →

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