值 (zhí): to be worth

Meanings

1 to be worth
2 value
3 to be on duty

Characters

值

zhí

value; worth; to be on duty

Combines 亻 (person) with 直 (straight) - a person standing upright on duty, or the upright worth of something.

Examples

HSK 1

今天谁值班？

Jīntiān shéi zhíbān?

Who is on duty today?

HSK 2

这个东西不值这么多钱。

Zhège dōngxi bù zhí zhème duō qián.

This thing is not worth that much money.

HSK 2

这次旅行很值。

Zhè cì lǚxíng hěn zhí.

This trip was really worth it.

Tips

usage

值 in colloquial Chinese can mean 'worth it': 很值 (totally worth it), 不值 (not worth it). 值班 means 'to be on duty/shift'.

Components

radical

亻 rén

person (radical form of 人)

Left-side person radical - the indexing radical, the standing-figure form of 人. Sets the 'human transaction' frame for 值: the meanings (worth, on duty, encounter) all involve a person reckoning, standing watch, or running into something. Same family: 你 (you), 价 (price), 但 (but), 信 (trust).

phonetic

直 zhí

straight; upright

Right-side 直 supplies the sound zhí with no tone shift. 直 also adds a faint semantic flavor - 'straight reckoning, honest accounting' - that suits 值's worth/value sense (an upright price is a fair price). Same phonetic family: 植 (plant), 殖 (breed), 置 (place).