捐款
juān kuǎn
In Chinese, the English word 'donation' is expressed as 捐款 (juān kuǎn).
The term 捐款 is commonly used in the context of charity, disaster relief or supporting non-profit organizations.
Meaning: a voluntary gift or contribution for a specific cause (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The word 捐款 consists of 捐 (juān), meaning 'to donate/contribute' and 款 (kuǎn), meaning 'sum of money/funds'.
Which one should you use?
While 捐款 specifically refers to a donation of money, if the donation consists of physical goods (like clothes or food), the term 捐赠 is more appropriate.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Taiwan, the term 捐款 is prevalent for both formal and informal situations.
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun 捐款 can also function as a verb meaning 'to donate money'.
How do you pronounce it?
juān kuǎn
Did you know?
- The character 捐 used in 捐款 originally referred to the act of giving up a government office or official rank in exchange for a payment or a title.
- The concept of 'donating' in Chinese culture is often tied to the idea of 'merit' or 'blessings' in traditional contexts, where the act is seen as a way to accumulate spiritual goodness.
- The character 捐 can also be used in the phrase 捐躯, which refers to 'sacrificing one's body' or life for a cause.
Examples in context
- 我们明天一起捐点钱吧！Let's donate some money together tomorrow!
- 我们感谢您的慷慨赠予，这将帮助改善我们社区的生活。We appreciate your generous donation, which will help improve lives in our community.
- 我想帮助一下，我考虑捐一些钱。I want to help a bit, and I'm considering donating some money.
- 向灾区捐款To donate money to the disaster area
- 这笔捐款用于救灾。Zhè bǐ juānkuǎn yòng yú jiùzāi.This donation is used for disaster relief.
- 我们收到了很多捐款。Wǒmen shōudào le hěnduō juānkuǎn.We received a lot of donations.
- 谢谢你的捐款。Xièxiè nǐ de juānkuǎn.Thank you for your donation.
Example conversation
Two colleagues are discussing a charity event at the office.
- 伟 Wei这次活动的捐款有多少？Zhè cì huódòng de juānkuǎn yǒu duōshǎo?How much is the donation for this activity?
- 雨婷 Yuting大概有五千块。Dàgài yǒu wǔqiān kuài.It's about five thousand yuan.
- 伟 Wei雨婷，你捐款了吗？Yǔtíng, nǐ juānkuǎn le ma?Yuting, did you make a donation?
- 雨婷 Yuting我刚才已经捐了。Wǒ gāngcái yǐjīng juān le.I just donated it.
