Chinese word

钱

Pronunciation

Pinyinqián

Meaning

  • nounmoney

Example

我没带钱，能借我吗？wǒ méi dài qián néng jiè wǒ ma

I didn't bring any money. Can you lend me some?

Illustration for 钱 (money)

More examples

我有钱，我来付。wǒ yǒu qián wǒ lái fù

I have money, and I will pay.

Core concept

Value that can move from one person or account to another in payment.

Common phrases

  • 有钱yǒu qián

    have money

  • 没钱méi qián

    have no money

  • 借钱jiè qián

    borrow money

Similar words

现金xiàn jīn: Coins and notes held at hand for immediate payment.
零钱líng qián: Small-denomination notes and coins used for small payments.
人民币rén mín bì: The name of China's official currency.

Definition in Chinese

表示购买力或可用于交易的货币，包括硬币、纸币及账户上的余额。biǎo shì gòu mǎi lì huò kě yòng yú jiāo yì de huò bì bāo kuò yìng bì zhǐ bì jí zhàng hù shàng de yú é

Word origin

钱 (qián, "money") combines the metal marker 钅 (jīn, "metal") with the sound-bearing part 戋 (jiān, "sound component"); its older form referred to a metal farming tool before it came to mean currency.

Usage tips

  • Modern payment talk can name a digital method, such as 微信支付 (Wēixìn zhīfù, "WeChat Pay"), showing that payment vocabulary also covers account transfers.

Related words

Word lists with this word