奉还

奉還
fènghuán
verb #34,348

Meanings

  1. 1 to return (something) respectfully
  2. 2 to give back (honorific)
  3. 3 to repay (formally)

Examples

Jiè de shū, míngtiān yīdìng rúshù fènghuán.
The book I borrowed — I'll return it in full tomorrow without fail.
Zhè fèn lǐwù tài guìzhòng, wǒ wúfǎ jiēshòu, yuánwù fènghuán.
This gift is too valuable, I can't accept it — I'm returning it as-is.

Tips

register
奉还 is a humble/honorific word — (fèng) means 'to offer with both hands', so the speaker is symbolically offering something back with deference. Use it in formal letters, polite speech, and historical drama. The plain modern verb is (huán) or 归还 (guīhuán).
usage
The set phrase 奉还 (shuāngbèi fènghuán, 'pay back double') was popularized by the 2013 Japanese drama (Hanzawa Naoki) — its original Japanese line しだ! became a catchphrase across East Asia.

Stroke Order

fèng
hái