借光

jièguāng

verb #17,579

Meanings

1 excuse me (let me through)
2 to benefit from someone else's prestige
3 reflected glory

Characters

to borrow; to lend

Literally "borrow light" — now used as a polite way to ask someone to make way.

Examples

借光，请让一下。

Jièguāng, qǐng ràng yīxià.

Excuse me, please let me through.

他借光于父亲的名气。

Tā jièguāng yú fùqīn de míngqì.

He benefits from his father's fame.

Tips

history

Originally, 借光 literally meant "to borrow light" — from the story of Kuang Heng (匡衡) who was too poor to afford a candle and drilled a hole in the wall to read by his neighbor's light. It evolved into a polite expression meaning "excuse me."

Stroke Order

借 jiè

光 guāng