拖欠

• Pinyin: tuō qiàn
• Hanzi breakdown: 拖 = 扌 (hand) + 它 (it, phonetic); 欠 = pictograph of a person yawning or bowing — original meaning 'lacking'

Meaning

To be in arrears; to default on payment; to owe money that is overdue. Failing to pay money owed by the due date.

Common in legal, financial, and labour contexts. Frequently collocates with 工资 (拖欠工资 = withholding wages) — a serious and common problem in China's construction sector. Also used for overdue rent (拖欠房租), loan repayments, and tax arrears. Carries a clear negative connotation of deliberate or negligent non-payment.

Examples

1. 这家建筑公司长期拖欠农民工工资，最终被劳动局查处。 This construction company had long been in arrears on migrant workers' wages and was eventually investigated by the labour bureau.
2. 他因拖欠银行贷款被列入失信被执行人名单。 He was added to the list of dishonest persons subject to enforcement because of his overdue bank loan.
3. 物业公司拖欠供应商款项长达半年之久。 The property management company had been in arrears on payments to suppliers for as long as half a year.

Usage Guide

Context: legal, financial, labour

Tone: critical

Do Say

• 企业无故拖欠员工薪资是违法行为。(It is illegal for a company to withhold employee wages without cause.)
• 他欠了一屁股债，拖欠了不少朋友的借款。(He's up to his ears in debt and has been slow to repay loans from many friends.)

Don't Say

• 把约定的延期付款称为'拖欠' (拖欠 implies wrongful non-payment; an agreed payment extension is 延期付款, not 拖欠)

Origin & History

Compound of 拖 (drag, delay) + 欠 (owe, be short). Together mean 'drag out what one owes,' i.e., be in arrears.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal