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返还 (fǎn huán) — to return (something to its owner), to give back

Definition

返还 (fǎnhuán) is a formal verb meaning 'to return, give back' — broader than 退还 (refund) and 还 (return borrowed items), often used for restitution of overcharges or found property.

verb
to return (something to its owner)to give back

Examples

  • 返还。
    Qǐng bǎ jiè de shū fǎn huán gěi tú shū guǎn.
    Please return the borrowed books to the library.
  • 返还。
    Gōng sī jué dìng fǎn huán suǒ yǒu duō shōu de fèi yòng.
    The company decided to refund all overcharged fees.
  • 返还。
    Tā zhǔ dòng fǎn huán le jiǎn dào de qián bāo.
    He voluntarily returned the wallet he found.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

返fǎnreturn
还háigive back

返 and 还 both point to giving something back, together emphasizing return to its original place or owner.

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
辶Written in full as辵chuòmovement
Sound part声符shēngfú
反
反fǎn返fǎn
Same sound today

返 pairs 辶 (movement) with 反 (sound, with the sense of returning); the whole character originally meant coming back along the path one came from.

Open 返 →

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 還; 还 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
辵辵chuòwalk
Sound part声符shēngfú
睘
睘qióng還hái
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 還 pairs 辵 (walk) with 睘 as a sound part for 'go back; return'; the simplified 还 is a shorthand, and its parts are not the historical components.

Open 还 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Abstract ConceptsChange & Process

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