Learn a Chinese Character - 借

1. Character Basics

Radical: 亻/rén (human radical)

Stroke Count: 10

Stroke Order:

2. Pronunciation

Pinyin: jiè (fourth tone)

3. Meaning

To borrow; to lend; to use; to take advantage of; to depend on; to resort to; to make use of; to occupy; to utilize; to adopt; to borrow money; loan; borrowing; lending

4. Common Words

• 借钱 (jiè qián) - to borrow money

  我想向你借钱。

  I want to borrow money from you.

• 借书 (jiè shū) - to borrow a book

  我从图书馆借书。

  I borrow books from the library.

• 借给 (jiè gěi) - to lend to

  请把你的钢笔借给我。

  Please lend me your pen.

• 借用 (jiè yòng) - to borrow and use

  我可以借用你的电脑吗？

  May I borrow your computer?

• 借口 (jiè kǒu) - excuse, pretext

  他总是找借口不学习。

  He always finds excuses not to study.

• 借助 (jiè zhù) - to resort to, to draw on

  我们可以借助互联网学习。

  We can learn by resorting to the Internet.

5. Grammar & Usage

The character 借 has several important grammatical patterns and usages:

• As a verb indicating borrowing:

  Structure: 借 + object + from + person

  Example: 我向朋友借钱。 (I borrow money from my friend.)

• As a verb indicating lending:

  Structure: 借 + object + to + person

  Example: 我把书借给了他。 (I lent the book to him.)

• In the structure "借...给...":

  Used to clearly indicate the recipient of the loan

  Example: 他借给我一辆自行车。 (He lent me a bicycle.)

• As a verb meaning "to take advantage of":

  Example: 他借这个机会表达了感谢。 (He took advantage of this opportunity to express his gratitude.)

• In idiomatic expressions:

  借花献佛 (jiè huā xiàn fó) - to borrow flowers to offer to Buddha (to do a favor for someone using something that belongs to others)

  借酒消愁 (jiè jiǔ xiāo chóu) - to drown one's sorrows in alcohol

• In formal contexts:

  借款 (jiè kuǎn) - loan, borrowing money

  借条 (jiè tiáo) - promissory note, IOU

  Example: 他们签订了借款合同。 (They signed a loan contract.)

The character 借 is primarily used to indicate actions related to borrowing and lending, and is widely used in both everyday and formal contexts.

6. Cultural Background

The character 借 has important cultural significance in Chinese society:

• In Chinese culture, the concept of borrowing and lending is deeply rooted in traditional values of reciprocity and mutual assistance.
• Historically, borrowing and lending played important roles in Chinese rural communities, where neighbors and relatives often helped each other through loans of money, tools, or labor.
• The character 借 is often associated with the value of trust, as borrowing and lending rely on mutual trust between parties.
• Traditional Chinese ethics emphasize the importance of repaying loans promptly and in full, reflecting the value placed on honesty and integrity.
• In Chinese literature and idioms, 借 is used in various expressions that reflect cultural values and social norms, such as 借花献佛 (to do a favor using something that belongs to others) and 借酒消愁 (to drown one's sorrows in alcohol).
• Today, 借 continues to be widely used in everyday language and formal contexts, including financial transactions, legal documents, and social interactions.

Overall, the character 借 reflects important cultural values related to reciprocity, mutual assistance, trust, and integrity in Chinese society.

7. Example Sentence

8. Memory Tips

The character 借 (jiè) can be broken down into two parts:

• The left part is 亻 (rén), the human radical, which indicates a person or human action.
• The right part is 昔 (xī), which means past or former days.

To remember this character:

1. Associate the combination of 亻 and 昔 with the idea of a person (亻) taking something temporarily (with the implication that it was in the past and will return to its owner).
2. Practice writing the character several times, focusing on the correct stroke order of its 10 strokes.
3. Connect the character to its most common use in everyday phrases like 借钱 (to borrow money) or 借书 (to borrow a book).
4. Use mnemonics: Imagine a person (亻) taking something that belonged to someone in the past (昔) and promising to return it, representing the concept of 借 (borrowing).
5. Learn the character's cultural significance by associating it with concepts of reciprocity, mutual assistance, trust, and integrity in Chinese society.
6. Notice how 借 appears in compound words with related meanings, and learn these compounds together to expand your vocabulary.