Definitions

zhài (noun) debt

Etymology

A person's  duty  also provides the pronunciation

About

The character for debt, "债", is structurally composed of the human radical "人" (亻) on the left and the component "责" on the right, a combination that directly illustrates its core meaning. The element "责" originally carried the broader sense of a demand or obligation, and when coupled with the human element, it specifies a financial or material obligation borne by a person. This construction is consistent with its traditional form, "債". Over time, the meaning of the character narrowed and solidified from the general concept of an obligation to specifically denote a monetary debt, a sum owed by one party to another, thus refining its original semantic scope to a precise economic context.

Etymology Hide

Seal etymology image
Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)
Traditional Modern
Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

我欠了一些

Wǒ qiànle yīxiē zhài.

I owe some debt.

他必须还

Tā bìxū huán zhài.

He must repay the debt.

爸爸还清了务。

Bàba huán qīngle zhàiwù.

Dad cleared the debt.

避免欠很重要。

Bìmiǎn qiàn zhài hěn zhòngyào.

Avoiding debt is very important.

务压力很大。

Zhàiwù yālì hěn dà.

The debt pressure is very high.

公司务增加了。

Gōngsī zhàiwù zēngjiāle.

The company's debt has increased.

国家务是一个问题。

Guójiā zhàiwù shì yīgè wèntí.

National debt is a problem.

为了还,他每天工作很辛苦。

Wèile huán zhài, tā měitiān gōngzuò hěn xīnkǔ.

In order to repay the debt, he works very hard every day.