债务 zhàiwù debt
debt; liability; amount due; indebtedness
How to remember 债务: 债 debt + 务 affairs = debt.
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How it is used
- Debt/liability owed - the abstract obligation - 偿还债务 (chánghuán zhàiwù) to repay debt; 债务危机 (debt crisis).
- More formal and legal/financial than 债 (zhài, a debt) alone; 债务 is the standing liability on the books.
- The debtor is 债务人, the creditor 债权人. Common in business, law, macroeconomics.