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零用钱 (líng yòng qián) — pocket money, allowance

Definition

noun
pocket moneyallowance

Examples

  • 零用钱。
    Wǒ měi gè yuè dōu huì gěi hái zi yì xiē líng yòng qián.
    I give my child some pocket money every month.
  • 零用钱。
    Tā yòng líng yòng qián mǎi le yì běn xīn shū.
    He used his pocket money to buy a new book.
  • 零用钱。
    Mā ma shuō wǒ zhè ge yuè de líng yòng qián yǐ jīng huā wán le.
    Mom said I've already spent all my pocket money for this month.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

零用incidental use
零língsmall用yònguse
偏正Modifier + head
钱qiánmoney

零用 suggests incidental spending, and 钱 names the money.

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
雨雨yǔrain
Sound part声符shēngfú
令
令lìng零líng
Same sound today

In 零, the 雨 part depicts thick raindrops falling from the sky; the 令 part gives the sound.

Open 零 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

用 was formed by adding a handle to an earlier form.

Open 用 →

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 錢; 钱 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
金金jīnmetal; gold; money
Sound part声符shēngfú
戔
戔jiān錢qián
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 錢 combines 金, meaning metal or money, with 戔, which gives the sound; the simplified 钱 is a later shorthand.

Open 钱 →
Appears in
Money & Currency

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