Definitions

jiǎ (adjective) fake; false; artificial
jiǎ (verb,particle) to borrow; if; suppose
jià (noun) vacation; leave; holiday

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound.

About

Composed of the standing person radical 亻 and the phonetic-semantic component 叚, 假 originally meant "to borrow" or "obtain temporarily". This sense of non-permanent possession later extended to denote something artificial, fake, or false (jiǎ). The concept of a temporary respite from duties also gave rise to the pronunciation jià, meaning a holiday or leave of absence.

Example Sentences Hide

这是一个苹果。

Zhè shì yī gè jiǎ píngguǒ.

This is a fake apple.

他请去旅行。

Tā qǐngjiǎ qù lǚxíng.

He asked for leave to travel.

装很开心。

Tā jiǎzhuāng hěn kāixīn.

She pretends to be very happy.

我们去了海边。

Shǔjià wǒmen qùle hǎibiān.

During summer vacation, we went to the seaside.

设明天不下雨,我们就去公园。

Jiǎshè míngtiān bù xià yǔ, wǒmen jiù qù gōngyuán.

If it doesn't rain tomorrow, we will go to the park.

这条新闻是虚的。

Zhè tiáo xīnwén shì xūjiǎ de.

This piece of news is false.

他利用期学习新技能。

Tā lìyòng jiàqī xuéxí xīn jìnéng.

He used the vacation to learn new skills.

尽管那是钻石,但看起来非常逼真。

Jǐnguǎn nà shì jiǎ zuànshí, dàn kàn qǐlái fēicháng bīzhēn.

Even though that is a fake diamond, it looks very realistic.