Chinese word

赔

Pronunciation

Pinyinpéi

Meaning

  • verbpay for

Example

他不小心把杯子打碎了，愿意赔钱。tā bù xiǎo xīn bǎ bēi zi dǎ suì le yuàn yì péi qián

He accidentally broke the cup and is willing to pay for it.

Illustration for 赔 (pay for)

More examples

事故造成了严重损失，公司同意赔偿损失。shì gù zào chéng le yán zhòng sǔn shī gōng sī tóng yì péi cháng sǔn shī

The accident caused serious losses, and the company agreed to compensate for them.

Core concept

Restore what another person has lost after one's action causes damage, usually through payment.

Common phrases

  • 赔钱péi qián

    pay for it

  • 赔偿损失péi cháng sǔn shī

    compensate for losses

  • 赔礼道歉péi lǐ dào qiàn

    apologize and make amends

Similar words

赔偿péi cháng: Provide money or goods to make up for damage or harm done to another person or to their rights.
补偿bǔ cháng: Make up for a loss or shortfall with money, goods, or another form of help.
支付zhī fù: Pay a price, bill, or other required cost with money.
偿还cháng huán: Return borrowed money or settle a debt that is owed.

Definition in Chinese

用钱或其他办法补偿别人因自己行为造成的损失或损害。yòng qián huò qí tā bàn fǎ bǔ cháng bié rén yīn zì jǐ xíng wéi zào chéng de sǔn shī huò sǔn hài

Word origin

The character 赔 (péi, "compensate") combines 贝 (bèi, "cowrie shell, money") + 咅 (pǒu, "phonetic component"), with 贝 signaling a money-related meaning and 咅 supplying the historical sound.

Usage tips

  • The remedy need not be cash, since the context can involve replacing an item or repairing damage, so a simple money-payment interpretation can be too narrow.

Other meanings

  • compensateverb
  • make up forverb
  • lose moneyverb

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word