算账
suànzhàng · HSK 7
Calculate account
🧮 算账 = 算 calculate + 账 account; settle the bill
算 means to calculate or reckon; 账 means an account or bill. Together they mean to do the accounts or settle up. The figurative sense is to get even with someone, the way settling a debt closes it out.
算 — bamboo 竹 + abacus 具 (eye 目 + two hands 廾)
Originally depicted counting with bamboo rods on an abacus-like device. The top 竹 (bamboo) refers to the bamboo counting sticks used in ancient Chinese arithmetic, while the bottom shows hands manipulating them. The meaning broadened from 'to count' to 'to calculate' or 'to plan'.
账 — shell radical 贝 + length 长
账 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The shell radical 贝 (originally cowrie shells used as money) signals a connection to wealth or financial matters, while 长 (zhǎng/cháng) provides the sound. It means 'account' or 'debt,' and is a later variant of the older form 帳.