拖欠

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

含义

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.

例句

1. 这家建筑公司长期拖欠农民工工资，最终被劳动局查处。
2. 他因拖欠银行贷款被列入失信被执行人名单。
3. 物业公司拖欠供应商款项长达半年之久。

用法指南

语境: legal, financial, labour

语气: critical

正确说法

• 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.)

错误说法

• 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)

起源与历史

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

文化背景

世代: All ages

社会背景: Universal