还债
huán​zhài

repay debt

还 hái, huán still, return Simplified

Simplified form of 還. 辶 represents the meaning. 不 replaces the traditional phonetic component 睘.

Components

不
不 Simplified component
bù, bu no

Shorthand for the 睘 component in the traditional character 還.

辶
辶 Meaning component
chuò walk

Character Evolution

Clerical form
Clerical Western Han 202 BC-9 AD
Regular Modern

Sources

Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical images
Academia Sinica

债 zhài debt Simplified

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

Components

亻
亻 Meaning component
rén person
责
责 SoundMeaning component
zé responsibility

Sources

Readings & variants
Unicode

還 hái, huán still Traditional

Phonosemantic compound. 辶 represents the meaning and 睘 represents the sound.

Components

辶
辶 Meaning component
chuò walk

辶 is a component form of 辵.

睘
睘 Sound component
qióng round
Change in sound

Character Evolution

Bronze form
Bronze Mid Western Zhou ~900 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Late Western Zhou ~800 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Late Western Zhou ~800 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Late Western Zhou ~800 BC
Seal form
Seal Warring States (Chu) 475-221 BC
Seal form
Seal Warring States (Chu) 475-221 BC
Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Western Han 202 BC-9 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Western Han 202 BC-9 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Western Han 202 BC-9 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Regular Modern

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-Sagarthwaen[ɢ]ʷˤ<r>en turn around; return
zjwens-ɢʷen turn around, return; agile

說文解字

復也。从辵瞏聲。

Sources

Character origin
漢語多功能字庫
Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Baxter-Sagart
Historical images
Academia Sinica
Etymology
Shuowen Jiezi (說文解字)

債 zhài debt Traditional

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

Components

亻
亻 Meaning component
rén person
責
責 SoundMeaning component
zé responsibility

Character Evolution

Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
Regular Modern

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-SagarttsrɛHs-tˤrek-sdebt
Zhengzhangʔsreːɡs
ʔsreːɡ
Unicodejrɛi

說文解字

債負也。从人、責，責亦聲。

Sources

Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Baxter-SagartZhengzhang Shangfang
Historical images
Academia Sinica
Etymology
Shuowen Jiezi (說文解字)