欠

qiàn

HSK 2.0Level 5

HSK 3.0Level 5

Definitions

qiàn (verb) to lack; to be deficient

qiàn (verb) to owe

qiàn (verb) to yawn

Etymology

Pictograph of a person (人) opening their mouth to yawn.

About

The character 欠 originated as a pictograph of a person with mouth agape, depicting the action of yawning or exhaling. This structure, showing a figure opening their mouth, establishes its role as a radical in characters related to breathing, drinking, or blowing. While the original meaning of yawning or mouth-opening persists in limited contexts, its primary modern usage has shifted to express deficiency, insufficiency, or debt. This quantitative and financial sense of being in arrears now dominates practical applications.

Etymology Hide

Oracle (~1250-1000 BC)

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

他欠我一百块钱。

Tā qiàn wǒ yībǎi kuài qián.

He owes me one hundred yuan.

你还欠我一个解释呢。

Nǐ hái qiàn wǒ yī gè jiěshì ne.

You still owe me an explanation.

他总是拖欠房租。

Tā zǒng shì tuōqiàn fángzū.

He always delays paying the rent.

他给我打了一张欠条。

Tā gěi wǒ dǎ le yī zhāng qiàntiáo.

He wrote me an IOU.

我感觉自己还欠些火候。

Wǒ gǎnjué zìjǐ hái qiàn xiē huǒhòu.

I feel I still lack some skill/experience.

他欠身让客人先进门。

Tā qiànshēn ràng kèrén xiān jìnmén.

He inclined his body (leaned slightly) to let the guest enter first.

这个计划考虑欠周，需要修改。

Zhège jìhuà kǎolǜ qiàn zhōu, xūyào xiūgǎi.

This plan lacks thorough consideration and needs revision.

他说话总带着一股欠揍的语气。

Tā shuōhuà zǒng dàizhe yī gǔ qiàn zòu de yǔqì.

He always speaks with a tone that makes you want to punch him.

Related Characters

Composed characters:

Component: 欠

欠