集资

• Pinyin: jí zī
• Hanzi breakdown: 集 = 隹 + 木 (gather); 资 = 次 + 贝 (secondary + shell/money — resources)

Meaning

To raise funds; to pool capital. Refers to gathering money from multiple sources for a common purpose.

Used in contexts ranging from community fundraising to corporate financing. Distinct from 融资 (institutional financing) — 集资 often implies grassroots or collective pooling.

Examples

1. 村民们自发集资修建了一条通往山区的公路。 Villagers voluntarily pooled funds to build a road leading into the mountain region.
2. 这家初创公司通过网络平台向社会公众集资。 This startup raised funds from the public through an online platform.
3. 集资诈骗是一种严重的金融犯罪行为。 Fundraising scams are a serious form of financial crime.

Usage Guide

Context: finance, community, law

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 该社区通过居民自愿集资的方式筹得三百余万元，用于改造老旧小区的供水管网和公共绿化设施。(Through voluntary fundraising by residents, the community raised more than three million yuan to renovate the water supply network and public green space facilities in the ageing residential compound.)
• 非法集资活动往往以高额回报为诱饵，诱骗不特定公众参与，一旦资金链断裂便会造成难以挽回的财产损失。(Illegal fundraising activities often use the lure of high returns to deceive an unspecified public into participating; once the funding chain breaks, they cause irreversible financial losses.)

Don't Say

• 集资 is not interchangeable with 融资 in formal finance; 融资 refers to institutional or structured financing, while 集资 denotes collective pooling from individuals

Origin & History

集 (gather) + 资 (capital/funds)

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal