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賺 — pronunciations, definitions, and tags
HanziPinyinEnglishTags
賺zhuànto earn, to profit, to make moneyx, 17 strokes, radical 貝
zhuàn(zhuan4) T4
  1. 1to earn, to profit, to make money
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March 24, 2026

賺zhuàn(zhuan4)

The character 賺 (zhuàn) means to earn or to profit, particularly in the context of making money. It is commonly used in business and financial discussions, emphasizing the aspect of gaining revenue or benefit from transactions, investments, or work.

Strokes17Radical貝
Cultural Note

In contemporary Chinese society, the concept of earning money is often linked to personal success and social status, making it a significant theme in discussions about career and ambition.

Memory Tip

Imagine a person holding a bag of coins (representing money) with a smile on their face, as they 'earn' profits. The radical 貝 (bèi) in the character relates to money, while the phonetic component 轉 (zhuǎn) suggests 'turning' your efforts into profit, like turning a wheel to generate income.

Meanings of 賺

zhuàn(zhuan4)
1to earn, to profit, to make money
Exercise 1 of 2

Listen & Choose the Meaning

Choose the correct answer:

About 賺

賺Simplified
17Strokes
貝Radical
非语素字non-morpheme character (n-m.)Part of Speech
#—Frequency Rank

Podcast: 賺

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Podcast: 賺

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AI Study Notes for 賺

Quick Contrast

盈利 (yínglì) - use 賺 (zhuàn) when referring to the act of earning money, while 盈利 (yínglì) emphasizes the resulting profit or gain.

Usage Notes

Be cautious of the tone when pronouncing 賺, as mispronouncing it can lead to confusion with other words. It is often used in informal contexts but can also appear in formal business discussions. Common collocations include 賺錢 (zhuàn qián - to make money) and 賺取 (zhuàn qǔ - to earn).

HSK Study Tips

Although 賺 is not included in the official HSK levels, it is relevant for learners at HSK 4 and above who are dealing with financial topics. Students should focus on understanding its usage in phrases related to income and business transactions.

Common Mistakes

Learners often confuse 賺 with other similar-sounding words, leading to incorrect usage. For example, saying '我賺了很多' (Wǒ zhuàn le hěn duō) without context may sound vague; it’s better to specify what you earned, like '我賺了很多錢' (I made a lot of money).

AI-enhanced 2026-03-24

Pronunciation of 賺

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Etymology of 賺

Formation Typepictophonetic
六书 ClassificationPhono-semantic (形声字)~80-90% of characters
Explanation

Phonosemantic compound. 贝 represents the meaning and 兼 represents the sound. Simplified form of 賺.

Memory Hint

money

Semantic (meaning)貝
+
Phonetic (sound)兼
Learn more about Phono-semantic (形声字) characters

Jason Etymology Detective

Case file: 賺

Phonosemantic compound. 贝 represents the meaning and 兼 represents the sound. Simplified form of 賺.

  1. 1The meaning half貝 carries the sense.
  2. 2The sound half兼 is there for the reading, not the meaning.
  3. 3The giveawaymoney
  4. 4On the record aspictophonetic.

Every clue here comes from the character's recorded structure — nothing is guessed.

Want the full history of 賺? Jason searches the paleographic record, weighs the competing accounts and judges the popular story.

Charged once for this character — everyone reads it afterwards.
Exercise 1 of 1

Character Formation Type

What type of character formation is 賺?

Decomposition of 賺

IDS Structure⿰貝兼
賺Full Character
=
貝bei4
left
兼jian1
right
Exercise 1 of 2

Identify the Components

Which of these is a component of 賺?

How to say to earn, to profit, to make money in Chinese

“to earn, to profit, to make money” in Chinese is賺zhuàn

The character 賺 (zhuàn) means to earn or to profit, particularly in the context of making money. It is commonly used in business and financial discussions, emphasizing the aspect of gaining revenue or benefit from transactions, investments, or work.

When to use 賺

Be cautious of the tone when pronouncing 賺, as mispronouncing it can lead to confusion with other words. It is often used in informal contexts but can also appear in formal business discussions. Common collocations include 賺錢 (zhuàn qián - to make money) and 賺取 (zhuàn qǔ - to earn).

賺 or something close to it

盈利 (yínglì) - use 賺 (zhuàn) when referring to the act of earning money, while 盈利 (yínglì) emphasizes the resulting profit or gain.

What learners get wrong

Learners often confuse 賺 with other similar-sounding words, leading to incorrect usage. For example, saying '我賺了很多' (Wǒ zhuàn le hěn duō) without context may sound vague; it’s better to specify what you earned, like '我賺了很多錢' (I made a lot of money).

Write 賺

賺

Practice writing 賺 stroke by stroke. Watch the animation to learn the stroke order, then try writing it yourself.

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Word Family of 賺

Words Containing This Character4
赚zhuànto earn賺
赚钱zhuànqiánto earn money賺錢
赚取to make a profit賺取
赚头profit (colloquial)賺頭
Exercise 1 of 4

Compound Meaning

What does 赚 mean?

Frequently Asked Questions about 賺

You can say '我想賺錢' (Wǒ xiǎng zhuàn qián) which means 'I want to make money.'

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