代价
How to Understand
代价 means 'price to pay' or 'cost' in English. It refers to the sacrifice, loss, or expense incurred in order to achieve something, often emphasizing the negative consequences involved.
The character 代 (dài) originally meant 'to replace' or 'to take the place of,' and later came to mean 'to bear' or 'to endure.' The character 价 (jià) means 'value' or 'price.' Together, 代价 conveys the idea of a cost that must be borne, often with an emotional or material weight.
代价 is commonly used in contexts involving trade-offs, sacrifices, or consequences. For example, people might say that the cost of success is long hours of work, or that a relationship has a high price in terms of emotional pain. In Chinese culture, the concept of 代价 reflects a pragmatic view of life, where every gain often comes with some form of loss or burden.