有借无还 — “To borrow without any intention of returning”

Q: What is the Chinese definition of 有借无还?

指借别人东西耍赖不归还。

有借无还 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to borrow without any intention of returning”. To default on a loan, often implying dishonesty or a lack of responsibility. Literally, “To have borrowed, but not returned”.

Frequency

有借无还 Pronunciation and Pinyin

有借无还 Character Breakdown

Stroke Order

Character	Pinyin	Strokes	Meaning
有	yǒu	6	to have or to exist
借	jiè	10	borrow, lend, or make use of
无	wú	4	without, not having
还	huán	8	still, also, return, repay

Example Sentence with 有借无还

小明每次借我的书都“有借无还”，真是让人头疼。

Xiaoming always borrows my books and never returns them; it's quite bothersome.

Origin and Story of 有借无还

After Cao Cao's defeat at the Battle of Red Cliffs at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, he abandoned Jingzhou, Nan Commandery, and Xiangyang. Liu Bei seized this opportunity to occupy these three cities.

When Zhou Yu returned with his forces, he was enraged and dispatched Lu Su to question Zhuge Liang. Zhuge Liang claimed he was only temporarily managing Jingzhou on behalf of its original owner, Liu Qi.

After Liu Qi's death, Lu Su once again went to demand the return of Jingzhou. Zhuge Liang, however, stated that he would only return it after he had captured Xichuan.

Lu Su, left with no recourse, had to return without success.