Chinese word

借

Pronunciation

Pinyinjiè

Meaning

  • verbborrow

Example

我可以借你的伞吗？wǒ ké yǐ jiè nǐ de sǎn ma

May I borrow your umbrella?

Illustration for 借 (borrow)

More examples

我向朋友借了十块钱。wǒ xiàng péng yǒu jiè le shí kuài qián

I borrowed ten yuan from my friend.

Core concept

An item or its use moves between people for a while, with a return built into the exchange.

Common phrases

  • 借钱jiè qián

    borrow money

  • 借书jiè shū

    borrow a book

Similar words

给gěi: Pass an object or information to someone else.
还hái: Give a borrowed item back to the person who owns it.
借给jiè gěi: Allow someone else to use your item for a while before getting it back.

Definition in Chinese

请求或取用他人的物品或使用权一段时间，具有临时性并通常需要返还。qǐng qiú huò qǔ yòng tā rén de wù pǐn huò shǐ yòng quán yí duàn shí jiān jù yǒu lín shí xìng bìng tōng cháng xū yào fǎn huán

Word origin

The character 借 (jiè, "borrow or lend") combines 亻 (rén, "person") with 昔 (xī, "formerly"), whose role is mainly to suggest the sound.

Usage tips

  • The English question "Can I borrow your umbrella?" focuses on the person receiving it, while Chinese can use the same word when describing the owner's side of the exchange.

Other meanings

  • lendverb

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word