Chinese word

欠条

Pronunciation

Pinyinqiàn tiáo

Meaning

  • nounIOU

Example

他给了我一张欠条。tā gěi le wǒ yì zhāng qiàn tiáo

He gave me an IOU.

Illustration for 欠条 (IOU)

More examples

债务还清后，他在欠条上写了“已还清”并作废。zhài wù huán qīng hòu tā zài qiàn tiáo shàng xiě le yǐ huán qīng bìng zuò fèi

After the debt was paid off, he wrote "paid in full" on the IOU and canceled it.

Core concept

A simple written record that marks money as owed and identifies the debt.

Common phrases

  • 一张欠条yì zhāng qiàn tiáo

    an IOU

  • 签署欠条qiān shǔ qiàn tiáo

    sign an IOU

  • 作废欠条zuò fèi qiàn tiáo

    cancel an IOU

Similar words

借条jiè tiáo: A simple handwritten record of money borrowed between individuals and when it should be repaid.
收据shōu jù: A written confirmation from a payment recipient that money or goods have been received.
借据jiè jù: A document recording a loan and its repayment conditions for use as transaction evidence.
合同hé tóng: A formal document that defines the parties' responsibilities and the results of failing to meet them.

Definition in Chinese

表示欠款关系的纸条，通常记载欠款人、金额、日期与签名，用以承认或证明欠债。biǎo shì qiàn kuǎn guān xì de zhǐ tiáo tōng cháng jì zǎi qiàn kuǎn rén jīn é rì qī yǔ qiān míng yòng yǐ chéng rèn huò zhèng míng qiàn zhài

Word origin

欠条 (qiàntiáo, "IOU") combines 欠 (qiàn, "owe") with 条 (tiáo, "slip or item"), naming a slip that records an amount owed.

Usage tips

  • A note of this kind can show that a debt was acknowledged, but it does not necessarily contain every repayment term found in a full agreement.

Opposites

  • 收条shōu tiáoreceiptnoun

Word lists with this word