欠

qiàn

HSK 5

欠 — qiàn

1. to owe (money, a favor, etc.)

   我欠他一笔钱，得赶快还。 wǒ qiàn tā yībǐ qián dé gǎnkuài hái — I owe him some money and must pay it back soon.

2. to lack; to be short of; to be deficient in

   这篇文章欠缺细节，需要补充材料。 zhè piānwénzhāng qiànquē xìjié xūyào bǔchōng cáiliào — This article lacks details and needs supplementary material.

3. (bound form) to yawn (used in compounds, e.g., 打欠)

   他困得直打欠。 tā kùn dé zhí dǎ qiàn — He was so sleepy he kept yawning.

4. to raise slightly (a part of one's body), e.g., raise one's head or eyebrow

   他听到声音，微微欠起头看了一眼。 tā tīngdào shēngyīn wēiwēi qiàn qǐtóu kàn le yīyǎn — He heard a sound and slightly raised his head to take a look.