归还

• Pinyin: guī huán
• Hanzi breakdown: 归 = 刀 + 帚 + 止 (return to origin); 还 = 辶 + 不 (give back, return)

Meaning

To return; to give back something borrowed or taken. The act of restoring an object or item to its rightful owner.

Commonly used for returning borrowed books, rented equipment, loaned money, or confiscated property. Can also appear in legal and political contexts, such as returning territory or assets. Formal-neutral register suitable for written and spoken Chinese.

Examples

1. 请在规定时间内归还图书馆的书籍，以免影响其他读者。 Please return library books within the required time so you don’t affect other readers.
2. 合同期满后，承租方须将房屋完好归还给房东。 When the lease ends, the tenant must return the house to the landlord in good condition.
3. 他借了我一笔钱，答应年底前全部归还。 He borrowed money from me and promised to pay it all back before the end of the year.

Usage Guide

Context: legal, finance, everyday

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 借款到期后，他按时将全部欠款归还给了债权人。(After the loan matured, he repaid the full amount owed to the creditor on time.)
• 租赁合同注明，设备使用完毕后须在五个工作日内归还。(The lease contract stipulates that the equipment must be returned within five working days after use.)

Don't Say

• 我归还你这个感情 — 归还 is for tangible objects or money; for intangible things like feelings, rephrase entirely; say 我们各自散了 or 这段感情已经结束了

Origin & History

归 (return) + 还 (give back). Both characters carry the meaning of returning, making the compound emphatic. 归 implies going back to an origin, while 还 means giving back or returning.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal