赊账

賒賬
shēzhàng
verb #29,939

Meanings

  1. 1 to buy or sell on credit
  2. 2 to put on the tab
  3. 3 to have an outstanding account

Examples

Yǐqián cūn lǐ de xiǎodiàn yǔnxǔ shúkè shēzhàng, yuèdǐ zài jiéqīng.
In the past, the village shop allowed regular customers to run a tab, settling up at the end of the month.
Tā zài nà jiā cāntīng shēzhàng tài duō, lǎobǎn bù zài ràng tā jìnmén.
He ran up too much credit at that restaurant, and the owner wouldn't let him in anymore.

Tips

culture
赊账 was common in traditional Chinese village economies, where trust-based credit between neighbors was normal. Today the concept survives in expressions about delayed payment or owing someone.

Stroke Order

shē
zhàng