Banking crisis (银行危机)

Banking crises (银行危机 yín háng wéi jī) occur when there is an abnormal amount of bank runs when people don’t trust that the bank will have sufficient deposits for withdrawal in the future, thus leading to serious solvency or liquidity problems.

Part 1: Breakdown of Words

• “Bank” (银行 yín háng) derives from:
  • “银” (yín) as in “silver” (白银 bái yín), “silver-colored” (银色 yín sè), or “silver screen” (银屏 yín píng).
  • “行” (háng) as in “industry” (行业 háng yè), or “rank” (行列 háng liè).
• “Crises” (危机 wéi jī) derives from:
  • “危” (wēi) as in “danger” (危险 wēi xiǎn), “terminally ill” (病危 bìng wéi), or “in distress” (危难 wéi nàn).
  • “机” (jī) as in “opportunity” (机会 jī huì), “confidential” (机要 jī yào), or “take advantage of the opportunity” (趁机 chèn jī).
  • “危机” as in “energy crisis” (能源危机 néng yuán wéi jī), or “financial crisis” (金融危机 jīn róng wéi jī).