活期

• Pinyin: huó qī
• Hanzi breakdown: 活 = 氵+ 舌 (water + tongue, live/flexible/active — suggests fluidity and movement); 期 = 其 + 月 (phonetic component + moon, indicating a period or interval of time)

Meaning

Current; on-demand; without a fixed term. Used primarily in banking to refer to current or demand accounts as opposed to fixed-term deposits.

活期 is primarily a banking and finance term. 活期存款 (demand deposit/current account) allows depositors to withdraw money at any time without penalty but offers lower interest rates than 定期存款 (time deposits). In modern Chinese banking, most personal savings accounts function as 活期 accounts. The term can also appear in non-banking contexts to mean flexible or open-ended timing.

Examples

1. 她将大部分资金存入定期账户以获取较高利息，但保留了一定金额在活期账户以备日常不时之需。 She put most of her money into a fixed-term account to earn higher interest, but kept some in a checking account for everyday needs.
2. 活期存款的利率虽然远低于定期，但其灵活的支取方式使其成为管理应急资金的最佳选择。 Although interest on demand deposits is far lower than on time deposits, the flexibility of withdrawing funds at any time makes them the best choice for emergency cash management.
3. 该银行推出了新型活期理财产品，在保持随时支取便利性的同时，提供了明显高于普通活期存款的收益率。 The bank launched a new demand-deposit wealth product that keeps the convenience of anytime withdrawals while offering returns noticeably higher than ordinary demand deposits.

Usage Guide

Context: banking, finance, savings, personal finance

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 理财顾问建议客户按流动性需求，把资产分配在活期账户和不同期限的定存之间。(The financial adviser suggested allocating assets between current accounts and fixed deposits of different terms according to liquidity needs.)
• 移动支付普及后，许多人消费都绑定活期账户，活期资金流动更频繁，也考验银行流动性管理。(As mobile payments become widespread, many people's spending is tied to current accounts, making demand-deposit flows more frequent and testing banks' liquidity management.)

Don't Say

• 活期 in non-financial contexts for a flexible schedule — use 灵活 or 弹性 instead; 活期 is almost exclusively a banking and financial term

Origin & History

活 (live/flexible/active) + 期 (period/term) — literally 'live/flexible period'; contrasts with 定期 (fixed/determined period), emphasising the absence of a fixed withdrawal date

Cultural Context

Era: Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal