贷 (dài) — to lend or borrow (money); to shift or shirk (responsibility)
Definition
Literary/formal verb covering both lending and borrowing money, depending on context (银行贷给他 = lends; 向银行贷 = borrows). Also appears in the set phrase 责无旁贷 ('no shirking this duty').
verb
to lend or borrow (money)to shift or shirk (responsibility)
Examples
- 贷。Yín háng dài gěi tā yì bǐ qián.The bank lent him a sum of money.
- 贷。Tā xiàng yín háng dài le yì bǐ kuǎn.He borrowed a sum of money from the bank.
- 。Zhè jiàn shì wǒ zé wú páng dài.I cannot shirk this responsibility.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost 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
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.
Appears in
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