算账

• Pinyin: suàn zhàng
• Hanzi breakdown: 算 = 竹 + 目 + 廾 (to count); 账 = 贝 (cowrie shell, representing wealth) + 长 (long) — financial accounts and records

Meaning

To settle accounts; to balance the books; figuratively, to call someone to account or settle a score.

Has both literal and figurative uses. Literally: to reconcile financial records or verify transactions. Figuratively and colloquially: to confront someone over a grievance or seek payback. In the figurative sense, 跟某人算账 functions as a mild threat or determined declaration of intent. Context is key in distinguishing the two senses.

Examples

1. 月末财务部的工作最为繁忙，会计们需要在短短几天内完成全月的算账工作，确保每一笔收支都有据可查、账目清晰。 The end of the month is the busiest time for the finance department; accountants have to finish the month’s bookkeeping in just a few days to ensure every income and expense is traceable and the accounts are clear.
2. 她虽然当下忍住了没有发作，但心里早已暗自决定，等到合适的时机一定要和那个无理取闹的人好好算账。 Although she held back and didn’t explode in the moment, she had already decided privately that when the time was right, she would settle the score with that unreasonable troublemaker.
3. 创业初期资金有限，合伙人之间必须把每一笔开支都算清楚，避免日后因账目不明引发不必要的纠纷和误会。 In the early days of a startup, funds are limited, so partners must account for every expense clearly to avoid unnecessary disputes and misunderstandings later caused by unclear bookkeeping.

Usage Guide

Context: finance, business, interpersonal conflict, colloquial speech

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 项目结束后，项目经理召集团队仔细算账，逐项核对实际支出与预算之间的差距，为下一次项目申报提供准确的参考数据。(After the project concluded, the project manager convened the team to carefully settle the accounts, going through each item to verify the gap between actual expenditure and the budget, providing accurate reference data for the next project application.)
• 他当时吃了亏却没有声张，只是冷静地记在心里，等到时机成熟再与对方算账，这种沉稳的处事方式反而让对手始料未及。(He suffered the loss at the time without making a scene, simply noting it calmly in his mind and waiting for the right moment to settle the score — this composed approach caught his opponent completely off guard.)

Don't Say

• 算账 在口语中用于表达追究责任或报复时语气较重，正式场合应改用 追责、清算 或 结清账目；用于威胁性语气时需注意场合，以免引发不必要的冲突

Origin & History

算 (to calculate, to count) + 账 (accounts, ledger) — to calculate and settle financial records; extended to settling personal scores

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal