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贷款 (dài kuǎn) — (noun) loan (measure word: 笔); (verb) to provide or take out a loan

Definition

贷款 (dàikuǎn) is a formal noun/verb for a bank or institutional 'loan' (lend/borrow). Use 借 for casual borrowing or lending, and 偿还 for repaying a debt.

noun
loan (measure word: 笔)
verb
to provide or take out a loan
Measure word · 笔

Examples

  • 贷款。
    Wǒ xū yào shēn qǐng yì bǐ dài kuǎn.
    I need to apply for a loan.
  • 贷款。
    Yín háng dài kuǎn gěi zhōng xiǎo qǐ yè.
    The bank provides loans to small and medium-sized enterprises.
  • 贷款。
    Tā dài kuǎn mǎi le fáng zi.
    He took out a loan and bought a house.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

贷dàilend/borrow
款kuǎnmoney

贷 means lend or borrow, and 款 means money; the combination points to money that is lent or borrowed.

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 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 →

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
欠欠qiànlacking, desire
Sound part声符shēngfú
柰
柰nài款kuǎn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

款 pairs 柰, a sound hint, with 欠, a part about lacking or desire.

Open 款 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 6HSK 2.0 Level 5Finance & Banking5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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