记账
jì zhàng
In Chinese, to tally is expressed as 记账 (jì zhàng).
记账 is used specifically for the act of bookkeeping or recording financial transactions in a ledger or an account book.
Meaning: to count something (verb)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of 记 (jì), meaning 'to record' or 'to remember' and 账 (zhàng), meaning 'account' or 'bill'.
Which one should you use?
While 记账 refers to the act of recording accounts, the term 数数 (shǔ shù) is used for the general act of counting items one by one.
How do you pronounce it?
jì zhàng
Did you know?
- The word 账 is used in the phrase 算账 (suàn zhàng), which literally means 'to settle accounts' but is often used idiomatically to mean 'to get revenge'.
- While 记账 is for financial records, if you are counting people in a line, you would use 点名 (diǎn míng), which literally means 'pointing at names'.
- The word 'tally' in English shares a distant ancestor with the 'tally sticks' used in Europe, but in Chinese, the concept of 'recording' (记) is more closely tied to the concept of 'memory'.
Examples in context
- 请你把清单上的项目 数数 好吗？(Qǐng nǐ bǎ qīngdān shàng de xiàngmù shǔ shǔ hǎo ma?)Can you please count the number of items on the list?
- 会计师需要 核算 账目。(Kuàijì shī xūyào hé suàn zhàngmù.)The accountant needs to reconcile the accounts.
- 他在帮公司记账。Tā zài bāng gōngsī jìzhàng.He is tallying the accounts for the company.
- 我们需要每天记账。Wǒmen xūyào měitiān jìzhàng.We need to tally the expenses every day.
- 别忘了记账。Bié wàngle jìzhàng.Don't forget to tally the books.
Example conversation
A small cafe where the owners are discussing the daily finances.
- 梓涵 Zihan浩然，你记账了吗？Hàorán, nǐ jìzhàng le ma?Haoran, have you tallied the accounts?
- 浩然 Haoran我正在记账呢。Wǒ zhèngzài jìzhàng ne.I am tallying them right now.
- 梓涵 Zihan今天的收入对吗？Jīntiān de shōurù duì ma?Is today's income correct?
- 浩然 Haoran一切都记好了。Yīqiè dōu jì hǎo le.Everything has been tallied correctly.
