贷

貸

dài

代 + 贝

Definitions

dài (verb,noun) to lend; to borrow; loan

dài (verb) to forgive; to pardon; to be lenient

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 贝 represents the meaning and 代 represents the sound. Simplified form of 貸.

Semantic: 贝 Phonetic: 代

About

贷 is a phonosemantic compound. The semantic component is 贝, a pictograph of a cowrie shell used as ancient money, signaling currency, wealth, and financial dealings. The phonetic component 代 supplies the sound. The character originally denoted lending or borrowing, the temporary transfer of goods or funds. 贷 is the simplified form of the traditional 貸, formed by replacing the complex 貝 with the simplified 贝 while keeping the upper part 代 intact. This simplification preserves the character's structural logic, and 贷 continues to stand for loans, credit, and financial lending in modern usage.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

我需要贷款。

Wǒ xūyào dàikuǎn.

I need a loan.

银行提供贷款服务。

Yínháng tígōng dàikuǎn fúwù.

The bank provides loan services.

信贷记录很重要。

Xìndài jìlù hěn zhòngyào.

Credit records are very important.

他申请了车贷。

Tā shēnqǐng le chēdài.

He applied for a car loan.

如果你想买房，需要房贷。

Rúguǒ nǐ xiǎng mǎi fáng, xūyào fángdài.

If you want to buy a house, you need a mortgage.

企业经常依靠贷款发展。

Qǐyè jīngcháng yīkào dàikuǎn fāzhǎn.

Enterprises often rely on loans for development.

国际信贷市场波动很大。

Guójì xìndài shìchǎng bōdòng hěn dà.

The international credit market fluctuates greatly.

鉴于当前经济形势，银行收缩了信贷规模。

Jiànyú dāngqián jīngjì xíngshì, yínháng shōusuō le xìndài guīmó.

Given the current economic situation, the bank has reduced the scale of credit.

Related Characters

Component: 代

Component: 贝

贷