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

HSK 2

借光，请让一下。

Jièguāng, qǐng ràng yíxià.

Excuse me, please let me through.

HSK 6

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