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

The character 贷 is a phono-semantic compound. The semantic component 贝 (bèi), meaning cowrie shell, anchors it to concepts of currency and wealth. The phonetic component 代 (dài) provides the pronunciation and contributes a related sense of substitution or exchange. Together, they form the original meaning of lending or borrowing, fundamentally describing the temporary transfer of value. In its simplified form, the traditional shell radical 貝 is replaced with 贝, preserving the character's structural logic while it continues to represent financial concepts like loans and credit 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