返还

• Pinyin: fǎn huán
• Hanzi breakdown: 返 = 辶 + 反 (movement radical + reversal — to go back); 还 = 辶 + 不 + 衣 (movement radical — to bring something back to someone)

Meaning

To return; to give back; to restore. To return something — property, deposits, rights, or territory — to its rightful owner.

Formal and legal register. 返还 is stronger and more official than simply 还 (to return). Commonly used in contracts, legal judgements, real estate, and diplomatic contexts. Often collocates with 押金、财产、领土、原物.

Examples

1. 根据租赁合同的明确规定，房东在租约到期后须在规定期限内将押金全额返还给租客，逾期未还者须依法承担相应的违约责任。 Under the lease’s clear terms, when the contract ends the landlord must return the full security deposit to the tenant within the specified time; any late return must bear the corresponding breach-of-contract liability under the law.
2. 法院在判决中裁定，被告须将非法占用的土地返还给原告，并赔偿对方因此遭受的直接经济损失。 In its judgment, the court ruled that the defendant must return the illegally occupied land to the plaintiff and compensate the plaintiff for the direct economic losses incurred as a result.
3. 两国政府经过多轮谈判，就历史遗留的领土争议达成了原则性共识，同意通过和平方式逐步推进相关地区的返还程序。 After multiple rounds of negotiations, the two governments reached a principled consensus on a longstanding territorial dispute, agreeing to gradually move forward with the return process for the relevant areas by peaceful means.

Usage Guide

Context: legal, finance, real-estate, diplomacy

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 消费者在收到存在质量缺陷的商品后，有权要求商家在合理期限内予以更换或将货款全额返还，商家无权以任何理由拒绝履行这一法定义务。(After receiving goods with quality defects, consumers have the right to demand that the merchant replace them or fully return the payment within a reasonable period; the merchant has no right to refuse to fulfil this statutory obligation on any grounds.)
• 合同中应明确约定在哪些情形下甲方有权要求乙方返还已支付的预付款，以及返还的时限与计算方式，避免因条款模糊而在日后产生纠纷。(The contract should clearly stipulate the circumstances under which Party A has the right to demand Party B to return the advance payment already made, as well as the time limit and calculation method, in order to avoid future disputes caused by ambiguous terms.)

Don't Say

• 把钱返还回来 — 回来 is redundant since 返 already conveys returning; use 将款项返还 or 返还押金 directly

Origin & History

返 (to return/go back) + 还 (to give back) — dual emphasis on returning something to where it belongs

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal