TongTong
Sign in

凭借 (píng jiè) — to rely on (someone's support, ability, etc.); by means of; through (a method, resource, etc.)

Definition

凭借 is a slightly more formal/literary 'rely on / by means of' than 凭, and often frames the cause of a positive outcome (close to 多亏). 借助 emphasizes actively drawing on outside help; 依托 leans toward depending on for support.

verb
to rely on (someone's support, ability, etc.)by means ofthrough (a method, resource, etc.)

Examples

  • 凭借。
    Tā píng jiè zì jǐ de jīng yàn jiě jué le zhè ge wèn tí.
    He solved this problem by relying on his own experience.
  • 凭借，。
    píng jiè Dà jiā de bāng zhù, wǒ men àn shí wán chéng le rèn wu.
    Thanks to everyone's help, we finished the task on time.
  • 凭借。
    Tā píng jiè chū sè de kǒu cái yíng dé le bǐ sài.
    She won the competition through her excellent eloquence.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

凭píngrely
借jièborrow/rely

凭借 joins 凭 'rely' and 借 'borrow/rely', meaning depend on something.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 憑; 凭 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
心心xīn
Sound part声符shēngfú
馮
馮féng憑píng
Same sound today

In the traditional form 憑, 心 relates to the heart or mind, and 馮 gives the sound. The simplified 凭 is a later abbreviation, so its visible parts are not the historical parts.

Open 凭 →

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 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 5Abstract Concepts

Browse more HSK 5 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.