借口

jièkǒu

noun HSK 7-9 #2,209

Measure Word

一个借口 gè

Meanings

1 excuse
2 pretext

Characters

to borrow; to use as pretext

Examples

别再找借口了。

Bié zài zhǎo jièkǒu le.

Stop making excuses.

他以生病为借口请了假。

Tā yǐ shēngbìng wéi jièkǒu qǐng le jià.

He took a leave of absence using illness as an excuse.

Tips

usage

借口 has a negative connotation — it implies the reason given is not genuine. 找借口 (to find excuses) is a common collocation.

Stroke Order

借 jiè

口 kǒu