债

債

zhài

亻 + 责

HSK 3.0Level 7

Definitions

zhài (noun) debt

Etymology

A person's 亻 duty 责; 责 also provides the pronunciation

About

债 (traditional 債) is a compound of the person radical 亻 and 责 (traditional 責). 责 means 'duty' or 'debt' and also serves as the phonetic component, while the shell radical 贝 within it points to money and financial matters. Originally, the character denoted a financial loan, money or valuable goods one person owes to another. Over time, its meaning broadened to include moral and social obligations, such as a debt of gratitude or a duty owed. Today it is the standard term for liabilities, financial deficits, and government bonds.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

我欠了一些债。

Wǒ qiànle yīxiē zhài.

I owe some debt.

他必须还债。

Tā bìxū huán zhài.

He must repay the debt.

爸爸还清了债务。

Bàba huán qīngle zhàiwù.

Dad cleared the debt.

避免欠债很重要。

Bìmiǎn qiàn zhài hěn zhòngyào.

Avoiding debt is very important.

债务压力很大。

Zhàiwù yālì hěn dà.

The debt pressure is very high.

公司债务增加了。

Gōngsī zhàiwù zēngjiāle.

The company's debt has increased.

国家债务是一个问题。

Guójiā zhàiwù shì yīgè wèntí.

National debt is a problem.

为了还债，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.

Related Characters

Component: 亻

Component: 责

债