Chinese word

掏钱

Pronunciation

Pinyintāo qián

Meaning

  • verbpay

Example

谁来掏钱付账？shuí lái tāo qián fù zhàng

Who will pay the bill?

Illustration for 掏钱 (pay)

More examples

朋友生病住院，他主动掏钱承担了部分医药费。péng yǒu shēng bìng zhù yuàn tā zhǔ dòng tāo qián chéng dān le bù fèn yī yào fèi

When his friend was hospitalized, he volunteered to pay part of the medical expenses.

Core concept

A hand reaches into a pocket or bag for money, with the action also standing for covering a cost.

Common phrases

  • 随手掏钱suí shǒu tāo qián

    pay without hesitation

  • 帮人掏钱bāng rén tāo qián

    pay for someone

Similar words

付钱fù qián: Provide the money needed for a purchase, bill, or other expense.
付款fù kuǎn: Pay an amount due in a formal or written setting.
支付zhī fù: Pay an amount due in commerce or with an electronic payment method.
买单mǎi dān: Pay and settle the bill after eating at a restaurant.

Definition in Chinese

口语里指把钱从身上或包里掏出并付给别人的动作或负责出钱的人。kóu yǔ lǐ zhǐ bǎ qián cóng shēn shàng huò bāo lǐ tāo chū bìng fù gěi bié rén de dòng zuò huò fù zé chū qián de rén

Word origin

The phrase combines 掏 (tāo, "take out by hand") with 钱 (qián, "money"), linking the visible act of retrieving cash with the role of paying.

Usage tips

  • When a group is deciding who covers a bill, this conversational expression can focus on the person responsible rather than only on the transaction.

Other meanings

  • take outverb

Opposites

  • 收钱shōu qiánreceive moneyverb

Related words

  • 掏心掏肺tāo xīn tāo fèilay one's heart bareidiom
  • 掏空tāo kōngempty outverb

Word lists with this word