赔钱
péi qián · HSK 7
to lose money
💸 赔 (compensate, pay damages) + 钱 (money) = paying out money, i.e. losing it
赔 carries the sense of making good a loss or paying damages; pair it with 钱 (money) and you get money going out the door. The 贝 radical in 赔 is the old cowrie-shell currency, a built-in flag that the word is about wealth changing hands.
赔 — shell radical 贝 + 㫊 (phonetic)
A semantic-phonetic compound. The shell radical 贝 signals money or wealth, since cowrie shells were ancient currency, while 㫊 (péi) suggests the sound. Originally meant to compensate or pay back a loss, and still carries the core sense of indemnifying or losing money.
钱 — metal radical 钅 + 戋 (small/shallow)
Originally a name for a spade-shaped bronze tool used as early currency in ancient China. The metal radical 钅 gives the meaning (metal coin), while 戋 supplies the sound and hints at 'small, thin pieces.' Over time the meaning shifted from the spade-coin itself to money in general.