还

Etymology & Components

The Chinese character 还 (huán) is composed of two parts: the radical 辶 (chuò), which represents the idea of "going" or "returning", and the phonetic component 奐 (huàn), which represents the sound. The character 还 originally meant "to return" or "to go back", but over time it has acquired a wider range of meanings, including "to repay", "to give back", "to restore", "to change", and "to still".The character 还 is often used in combination with other characters to form compound words and phrases. For example, the word 偿还 (chánghuán) means "to repay a debt", the word 归还 (guīhuán) means "to return something", and the word 兑换 (duìhuàn) means "to exchange".The character 还 can also be used as a verb or a noun. As a verb, it means "to return" or "to give back". As a noun, it means "a return" or "a repayment".The character 还 is a common character in Chinese, and it is used in a wide variety of contexts. It is important for HSK learners to understand the meaning and usage of this character in order to communicate effectively in Chinese.