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借贷 (jiè dài) — to borrow or lend money; to obtain a loan

Definition

借贷 is a formal financial term covering both 'to borrow' and 'to lend' money — it combines 借 (borrow) and 贷 (lend) into one verb.

verb
to borrow or lend moneyto obtain a loan

Examples

  • 借贷。
    Tā tōng guò jiè dài huò dé le yì bǐ chuàng yè zī jīn.
    He obtained a sum of start-up capital through borrowing.
  • 借贷。
    Gōng sī jué dìng xiàng yín háng jiè dài yǐ kuò dà shēng chǎn.
    The company decided to borrow from the bank to expand production.
  • 借贷。
    Xiǎo qǐ yè jīng cháng xū yào jiè dài lái wéi chí yùn yíng.
    Small businesses often need to borrow money to maintain operations.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

借jièborrow
贷dàilend

借 relates to borrowing and 贷 to lending; together they cover both sides of money transactions.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
人人rénperson
Sound part声符shēngfú
昔
昔xī借jiè
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

借 combines 人, a person, with 昔, which shows the sound.

Open 借 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 貸; 贷 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
貝貝bèishell
Sound part声符shēngfú
代
代dài貸dài
Same sound today

The traditional form 貸 pairs 貝 (shell) with 代, which gives its sound; the simplified 贷 is a later shorthand. It originally meant to give or bestow, later to lend.

Open 贷 →
Appears in
Finance & Banking

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