Borrowing and Lending in Chinese

In this post I will cover how to borrow and lend things in Chinese. The character that means “give” or “lend” in Chinese is 借jiè (jiè), although in some situations 给gěi (gěi), meaning “to give” is used.

There are several ways to say “lend” or “borrow” in Chinese, these are:

• 给gěi (gěi) to “give”
• 借jiè给gěi (jiè gěi) to “lend”
• 借jiè (jiè) to “lend” or “borrow’
• 借jiè用yòng (jièyòng) to “borrow” or “use” something
• 跟gēn。.。.。.给gěi (gēn…jiè) to “borrow from”

I’ll step you through each of these below, including with examples.

To “give”: 给gěi (gěi)

给gěi means “to give”, and is used much the same way we “give” in English, when we may actually mean lend or borrow. Here are some examples

请qǐngssttrroonngg>>给gěi//ssttrroonngg>>我wǒ
qǐng gěi wǒ
Please give me

You can extend this to say, for example “Please give me that”

请qǐngssttrroonngg>>给gěi//ssttrroonngg>>我wǒ那nà个ge
qǐng gěi wǒ nàgè
Please give me that

Or you could say “please give me this”

请qǐngssttrroonngg>>给gěi//ssttrroonngg>>我wǒ这zhè个ge
qǐng gěi wǒ zhège
Please give me this

Here 那nà个ge is the Chinese word for “that” and 这zhè个ge is the Chinese word for “this’

Finally you can ask for a specific item:

请qǐng给gěi我wǒ一yī支zhī铅qiān笔bǐ
qǐng gěi wǒ yī zhī qiānbǐ
Please give me a (one unit of ) pencil

请qǐngssttrroonngg>>给gěi//ssttrroonngg>>我wǒ一yī本běn书shū
qǐng gěi wǒ yī běn shū
Please give me a (one unit of) book.

In the above two examples we use classifiers, otherwise known as measures words. Classifiers are normally required in Chinese, so instead of saying “a pencil’ or “a book”, we need to say “one unit of pencil” or “one unit of book”. This is a bit different to English, however you do see classifiers in English, for example we say “one piece of paper”, while “one paper” doesn’t sound right. In Chinese the classifier is required and dropping it is the equivalent of saying “one paper” in English.

Another point to remember with classifiers is that the classifier that is used is different depending on the word. In the above examples 支zhī zhī) is the classifier used for rod shaped objects, such as pens and pencils, while 本běn (běn) is the classifier used for books.

请qǐng给gěi我wǒ你nǐ的de手shǒu机jī
qǐng gěi wǒ nǐ de shǒujī
Please give me your phone

In the above examples, we are not explicitly asking to borrow the item, however based on the context of the situation the other person would understand. If we are asking a shopkeeper for a book, we are obviously not borrowing it, but conversely if we ask a friend for their phone, we want to take a look at it, that is we are borrowing it, not buying it.

If you want to know more about classifiers and measure words, check out my post on Chinese Classifiers: What are they and how to use them as well as my complete list of Mandarin Chinese classifiers and measure words.

To “lend”: 借jiè给gěi (jiè gěi)

The word for borrow in Chinese is 借jiè给gěi (jiè gěi). You can combine “borrow” 借jiè (jiè) and “give” 给gěi (gěi) to create 借jiè给gěi (jiè gěi) which means “to lend to”. The difference between 借jiè给gěi (jiè gěi) and 给gěi (gěi) is that we are explicitly asking to borrow the item, here are the previous examples changed to use 借jiè给gěi (jiè gěi) instead of 给gěi (gěi)

请qǐngssttrroonngg>>借jiè给gěi//ssttrroonngg>>我wǒ
qǐng jiè gěi wǒ
Please lend me

请qǐngssttrroonngg>>借jiè给gěi//ssttrroonngg>>我wǒ那nà个ge
qǐng jiè gěi wǒ nàgè
Please lend me that

请qǐngssttrroonngg>>借jiè给gěi//ssttrroonngg>>我wǒ这zhè个ge
qǐng jiè gěi wǒ zhège
Please lend me this

请qǐngssttrroonngg>>借jiè给gěi//ssttrroonngg>>我wǒ一yī支zhī铅qiān笔bǐ
qǐng jiè gěi wǒ yī zhī qiānbǐ
Please lend me a (one unit of ) pencil

请qǐngssttrroonngg>>借jiè给gěi//ssttrroonngg>>我wǒ一yī本běn书shū
qǐng jiè gěi wǒ yī běn shū
Please lend me a (one unit of) book.

请qǐngssttrroonngg>>借jiè给gěi//ssttrroonngg>>我wǒ你nǐ的de手shǒu机jī
qǐng jiè gěi wǒ nǐ de shǒujī
Please lend me your phone

To “lend” or “borrow”: 借jiè (jiè)

借jiè can be used on it’s own without combining it with 给gěi, however when used in this way the meaning can mean either to “lend” or “borrow”, leaving it up to you to work out which. Consider the following for example:

不bùssttrroonngg>>借jiè//ssttrroonngg>>钱qián
bù jiè qián
don’t borrow money / don’t lend money

As you can see the above use of 借jiè is unclear, you would have to work it out from the context of the conversation.

Typically the meaning of 借jiè is clearer:

请qǐngssttrroonngg>>借jiè//ssttrroonngg>>我wǒ
qǐng jiè wǒ
Please lend me

请qǐngssttrroonngg>>借jiè//ssttrroonngg>>我wǒ那nà个ge
qǐng jiè wǒ nàgè
Please lend me that

请qǐngssttrroonngg>>借jiè//ssttrroonngg>>我wǒ这zhè个ge
qǐng jiè wǒ zhège
Please lend me this

请qǐngssttrroonngg>>借jiè//ssttrroonngg>>我wǒ一yī支zhī铅qiān笔bǐ
qǐng jiè wǒ yī zhī qiānbǐ
Please lend me a (one unit of ) pencil

请qǐngssttrroonngg>>借jiè//ssttrroonngg>>我wǒ一yī本běn书shū
qǐng jiè wǒ yī běn shū
Please lend me a (one unit of) book.

请qǐngssttrroonngg>>借jiè//ssttrroonngg>>我wǒ你nǐ的de手shǒu机jī
qǐng jiè wǒ nǐ de shǒujī
Please lend me your phone

To “borrow” or “use”: 借jiè用yòng (jièyòng)

The word in Chinese for borrowing something with the purpose of using it is 借jiè用yòng (jièyòng), to use this you can simply say something like this:

我wǒ能néngssttrroonngg>>借jiè用yòng//ssttrroonngg>>下xià电diàn脑nǎo吗ma？?
wǒ néng jièyòng xià diànnǎo ma?
Can I (borrow) use your computer?

Here we are using the word 能 to mean “able to”, alternatively you could use the word 可以, which means “permitted to”:

我wǒ可kě以yǐssttrroonngg>>借jiè用yòng//ssttrroonngg>>一yī下xià电diàn话huà吗ma？?
wǒ kěyǐ jièyòng yīxià diànhuà ma
Can I (borrow) use your phone?

In both examples we are asking to borrow the item. Note that we could have used 借jiè instead of 借jiè用yòng

Here are more examples using 借jiè用yòng (jièyòng)：

请qǐngssttrroonngg>>借jiè用yòng//ssttrroonngg>>我wǒ
qǐng jièyòng wǒ
Please lend me (to use)

请qǐngssttrroonngg>>借jiè用yòng//ssttrroonngg>>我wǒ那nà个ge
qǐng jièyòng wǒ nàgè
Please lend me that to use

请qǐngssttrroonngg>>借jiè用yòng//ssttrroonngg>>我wǒ这zhè个ge
qǐng jièyòng wǒ zhège
Please lend me this to use

请qǐngssttrroonngg>>借jiè用yòng//ssttrroonngg>>我wǒ一yī支zhī铅qiān笔bǐ
qǐng jièyòng wǒ yī zhī qiānbǐ
Please (may I) use a (one unit of ) pencil

请qǐngssttrroonngg>>借jiè用yòng//ssttrroonngg>>我wǒ一yī本běn书shū
qǐng jièyòng wǒ yī běn shū
Please (may I) use a (one unit of) book.

请qǐngssttrroonngg>>借jiè用yòng//ssttrroonngg>>我wǒ你nǐ的de手shǒu机jī
qǐng jièyòng wǒ nǐ de shǒujī
Please (may I) use me your phone

To “borrow from”: 跟gēn。.。.。.给gěi (gēn…jiè)

If you want to make it very clear who you are borrowing from, you can use 跟gēn。.。.。.给gěi (gēn…jiè), which means to “borrow from” where you place the person from whom the item is being borrowed between 跟gēn (gēn) and 给gěi (jiè), here are some examples.

不bùssttrroonngg>>跟gēn//ssttrroonngg>>他tāssttrroonngg>>借jiè//ssttrroonngg>>钱qián
bù gēn tā jiè qián
don’t borrow money from him

不bùssttrroonngg>>跟gēn//ssttrroonngg>>我wǒssttrroonngg>>借jiè//ssttrroonngg>>钱qián
bù gēn wǒ jiè qián
don’t borrow money from me

As you can see from the above, unlike using 借jiè (jiè), using 跟gēn。.。.。.给gěi (gēn…jiè) makes it very clear who is borrowing from whom. Here are our examples again:

请qǐngssttrroonngg>>跟gēn//ssttrroonngg>>我wǒssttrroonngg>>借jiè//ssttrroonngg>>
qǐng gēn wǒ jiè
Please lend me

请qǐngssttrroonngg>>跟gēn//ssttrroonngg>>我wǒssttrroonngg>>借jiè//ssttrroonngg>>那nà个ge
qǐng gēn wǒ jiè nàgè
Please lend me that

请qǐngssttrroonngg>>跟gēn//ssttrroonngg>>麦Mài克kèssttrroonngg>>借jiè//ssttrroonngg>>这zhè个ge
qǐng gēn màikè jiè zhège
Please lend Mike this

请qǐngssttrroonngg>>跟gēn//ssttrroonngg>>弟dì弟dissttrroonngg>>借jiè//ssttrroonngg>>一yī支zhī铅qiān笔bǐ
qǐng gēn dìdì jiè yī zhī qiānbǐ
Please lend (my/our/your) younger brother a (one unit of ) pencil

请qǐngssttrroonngg>>跟gēn//ssttrroonngg>>她tāssttrroonngg>>借jiè//ssttrroonngg>>一yī本běn书shū
qǐng gēn tā jiè yī běn shū
Please lend her a (one unit of) book.

请qǐngssttrroonngg>>跟gēn//ssttrroonngg>>她tāssttrroonngg>>借jiè//ssttrroonngg>>我wǒ你nǐ的de手shǒu机jī
qǐng gēn tā jiè wǒ nǐ de shǒujī
Please lend her your phone

Conclusion

If all the above seems a bit overwhelming, I recommend simply using 借jiè给gěi (jiè gěi) or just 借jiè (jiè) when the context of the situation makes it obvious. Here are the take away phrases:

请qǐngssttrroonngg>>借jiè给gěi//ssttrroonngg>>我wǒ
qǐng jiè gěi wǒ
Please lend me

我wǒ能néngssttrroonngg>>借jiè//ssttrroonngg>>......
wǒ néng jiè …
Can I borrow…