Today’s word of the day is: 借 (jiè) means ‘to borrow’ or ‘to lend’. Let’s practice by making different words, phrases, and sentences with 借 (jiè).
借口 (jiè kǒu) Excuse
The first word is 借口 (jiè kǒu) which means ‘excuse’. Let’s look at each character of this word, 借 means ‘to borrow’ and 口 (kǒu) means mouth. A way of using it in a sentence is 我不能相信你的借口。 (Wǒ bùnéng xiāngxìn nǐde jièkǒu.) I cannot believe your excuses. Use this when someone is telling you something completely unbelievable.
借钱 (jiè qián) To borrow money
Another word we can create with 借 (jiè) is 借钱 (jiè qián). This means ‘to borrow money'. Let’s again look at each character of this word, 借 means ‘to borrow’ and 钱 means money. A way of using it in a sentence is 你借钱给他等于丢进海里。(Nǐ jiè qián gěi tā děngyú diū jìn hǎilǐ.) Lending money to him is like throwing your money into the sea. You can say this when giving advice to a friend for example.
借书 (jiè shū) To borrow book
Finally, we can create the word 借书 (jiè shū) which means to ‘borrow books’. The 书 here means book. A way of using it in a sentence is 你每次借书都必须出示借书证。(Nǐ měi cì jiè shū dōu bìxū chūshì jiè shū zhèng.) You must present your library card every time you borrow a book.