Definitions

péi (verb) to compensate; to pay for damages
péi (verb) to suffer a financial loss

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound. Simplified form of .

Semantic: Phonetic:

About

(traditional form ) is a phono-semantic compound: the left side is the cowrie shell radical ( in traditional), which relates to wealth and financial transactions, and the right side indicates the pronunciation. Its primary meaning is to compensate for a financial loss or pay an indemnity, and it later extended to describe a business operating at a loss or failing to turn a profit. The simplification only reduces the traditional radical to , while the phonetic component stays identical.

Example Sentences Hide

他做生意钱了。

Tā zuò shēngyì péi qián le。

He lost money in his business.

打碎东西要偿。

Dǎ suì dōngxī yào péicháng。

You must pay compensation for breaking things.

他坚决不这笔钱。

Tā jiānjué bù péi zhè bǐ qián。

He firmly refuses to pay this compensation.

战败国支付了巨额款。

Zhànbàiguó zhīfù le jù'é péikuǎn。

The defeated nation paid a huge war indemnity.

保险公司会付损失。

Bǎoxiǎn gōngsī huì péifù sǔnshī。

The insurance company will compensate for the loss.

你应该向他礼道歉。

Nǐ yīnggāi xiàng tā péilǐ dàoqiàn。

You should offer him an apology.

这家店本卖货,很奇怪。

Zhè jiā diàn péiběn mài huò, hěn qíguài。

This shop is selling goods at a loss, which is very strange.

法院判决他偿精神损失费。

Fǎyuàn pànjué tā péicháng jīngshén sǔnshī fèi。

The court ruled that he must pay compensation for emotional distress.