缴

繳

jiǎo

敫 + 纟

HSK 3.0Level 7

Definitions

jiǎo (verb) to hand in; to hand over

jiǎo (verb) to seize; to confiscate

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 纟 represents the meaning and 敫 represents the sound. Simplified form of 繳.

Semantic: 纟 Phonetic: 敫

About

缴, traditionally written as 繳, is a phono-semantic compound. Its left component, the semantic radical 纟 (mì), relates to silk or thread, while the right component, 敫 (jiǎo), provides the phonetic value. The silk radical hints at its original meaning: a string or thread attached to an arrow for retrieving hunted prey. As retrieval arrows fell out of use, the character's meaning shifted to denote handing over, submitting, or paying something to an authority. Today, 缴 is primarily used in administrative and financial contexts, referring to actions like paying taxes, submitting fees, or surrendering weapons, with its original hunting and silk associations largely faded.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

我缴了学费。

Wǒ jiǎo le xuéfèi.

I paid the tuition fee.

他昨天缴了电费。

Tā zuótiān jiǎo le diànfèi.

He paid the electricity bill yesterday.

请缴纳停车费。

Qǐng jiǎonà tíngchēfèi.

Please pay the parking fee.

我们必须按时缴纳房租。

Wǒmen bìxū ànshí jiǎonà fángzū.

We must pay the rent on time.

如果你不缴费，就会被停水。

Rúguǒ nǐ bù jiǎo fèi, jiù huì bèi tíng shuǐ.

If you don't pay the fee, the water will be cut off.

你缴纳税款了吗？

Nǐ jiǎonà shuìkuǎn le ma?

Have you paid the taxes?

公司要求员工缴纳社会保险。

Gōngsī yāoqiú yuángōng jiǎonà shèhuì bǎoxiǎn.

The company requires employees to pay social insurance.

根据法律规定，所有公民都必须依法缴纳个人所得税。

Gēnjù fǎlǜ guīdìng, suǒyǒu gōngmín dōu bìxū yīfǎ jiǎonà gèrén suǒdéshuì.

According to the law, all citizens must pay personal income tax in accordance with the law.

Related Characters

Component: 敫

Component: 纟

缴