定金
dìng jīn · HSK 7
payment
💰 定 (fixed) + 金 (gold/money) = fixed money you put down first
The deposit that locks a deal in place. 定 means to fix or settle, 金 means gold or money — together they describe the chunk of cash you nail down before the full payment follows.
定 — roof 宀 + 正 (correct/upright, phonetic)
Originally written with 宀 (roof) over 正 (upright/correct), suggesting a household settled and orderly under its roof. Over time 正 simplified to 㐬-like form at the bottom, and the meaning shifted from 'settled home' to the broader senses of 'fix, stable, decide.'
金 — roof 亼 + two dots (metal nuggets) + earth 土
Originally a pictograph of metal nuggets buried in the earth beneath a covering, with the two dots representing pieces of ore. It first meant 'metal' broadly, then narrowed to 'gold' as the most precious metal, and by extension 'money'.