算账

算賬

suànzhàng

verb HSK 7-9 #12,419

Meanings

1 to balance the books; to do the accounts
2 (figurative) to settle a score; to get even

Characters

to calculate; to count

Examples

月底要算账，看看赚了多少。

Yuèdǐ yào suànzhàng, kànkan zhuàn le duōshao.

We need to balance the books at the end of the month to see how much we earned.

等着吧，我迟早要跟你算账！

Děng zhe ba, wǒ chízǎo yào gēn nǐ suànzhàng!

Just wait — I'll settle the score with you sooner or later!

Tips

usage

The figurative meaning of settling scores is very common. The idiom 秋后算账 (qiūhòu suànzhàng) means 'to settle accounts after autumn' — waiting for the right moment to get revenge.

Stroke Order

算 suàn

账 zhàng