资产 (zīchǎn) — assets; property

资产 (zīchǎn)

资产 refers to anything of value owned by a person, company, or government -- including financial investments, property, and equipment -- and is a foundational term in economics, accounting, and business journalism.

Meanings

1. [noun] assets; property; holdings (financial or physical)

Example Sentences

这家公司的总资产超过五百亿元。 Zhè jiā gōngsī de zǒng zīchǎn chāoguò wǔ bǎi yì yuán. The company's total assets exceed 50 billion yuan.

资产与负债的平衡是企业财务管理的核心。 Zīchǎn yǔ fùzhài de pínghéng shì qǐyè cáiwù guǎnlǐ de héxīn. Balancing assets and liabilities is at the core of corporate financial management.

房地产是许多家庭最主要的资产。 Fángdìchǎn shì xǔduō jiātíng zuì zhǔyào de zīchǎn. Real estate is the most important asset for many families.

政府决定出售部分国有资产，引进私人投资。 Zhèngfǔ juédìng chūshòu bùfen guóyǒu zīchǎn, yǐnjìn sīrén tóuzī. The government decided to sell some state-owned assets and attract private investment.

知识产权也是企业的重要无形资产。 Zhīshí chǎnquán yě shì qǐyè de zhòngyào wúxíng zīchǎn. Intellectual property is also an important intangible asset of enterprises.

在经济危机期间，资产价值大幅缩水。 Zài jīngjì wéijī qījiān, zīchǎn jiàzhí dàfú suōshuǐ. During the economic crisis, asset values shrank dramatically.

Collocations

Usage Notes

资产 is the technical term for assets in accounting and finance, and contrasts directly with 负债 (fùzhài, liabilities). The balance sheet (资产负债表, zīchǎn fùzhài biǎo) is a key financial document pairing these two concepts.

资产 can also be used metaphorically: 人才是国家的宝贵资产 (talented people are the nation's precious asset). In everyday speech 财产 (cáichǎn) is sometimes used similarly but is more general and informal.

Memory Hook

资 (resources/capital) + 产 (to produce/property): capital that produces property -- assets.