买通 (mǎi tōng) — to bribe (someone), to buy off | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

买通 means to bribe someone specifically to gain their cooperation or influence a decision — the result (winning them over) is built into the verb. 贿赂 is the more general, formal word for bribery as an act.

verb

to bribe (someone)to buy off

Examples

买通，。
Tā mǎi tōng le nà ge guān yuán, cái ná dào le hé tong.
He bribed that official and only then got the contract.
，买通。
Zhè ge mén wèi hěn zhèng zhí, nǐ mǎi tōng bù tōng de.
This doorkeeper is very upright; you won't be able to bribe him.
买通，。
Tā men xiǎng mǎi tōng cái pàn, dàn bèi fā xiàn le.
They tried to bribe the referee, but got caught.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

补充bǔchōngVerb + complement

An action followed by its result or direction.

通tōngthrough

买 is to buy and 通 is to get through, so 买通 means paying to pass someone's resistance.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 買; 买 is its simplified writing.

网网wǎngnet
貝貝bèimoney cowrie

In the traditional form 買, 网 is a net and 貝 is a money cowrie.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

辶甬通

Meaning part形符xíngfú

辶Written in full as辵chuò

Sound part声符shēngfú

甬

甬yǒng通tōng

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

通 pairs 辶, a part associated with movement, with 甬, which gives the sound.

Appears in

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