供应链 (gōng yìng liàn) — supply chain

Definition

供应链 is the flow of goods from raw materials to end customer — narrower than 产业链 (which covers the whole industry's value activities), broader than 物流 (which is just transport and warehousing).

noun
supply chain
Measure word · 条

Examples

  • 供应链。
    Gōng sī zhèng zài jiàn lì zì jǐ de gōng yìng liàn.
    The company is building its own supply chain.
  • 供应链。
    Yì qíng de bào fā yán zhòng yǐng xiǎng le quán qiú gōng yìng liàn.
    The outbreak of the pandemic has severely affected the global supply chain.
  • 供应链。
    Wǒ men xū yào gǎi shàn gōng yìng liàn de xiào lǜ.
    We need to improve the efficiency of the supply chain.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

供应supply
供gòngsupply应yìngprovide
联合Coordinate

Combines 供应 meaning supply with 链 meaning chain to name a chain of supply.

Characters in this word

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

Meaning part形符xíngfú
亻Written in full as人rénperson
Sound part声符shēngfú
共
共gòng供gòng
Same sound today

供 is made of 亻, a person, and 共, which gives the sound gòng.

Open 供 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 應; 应 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
心心xīnheart
Sound part声符shēngfú
䧹
䧹䧹應yìng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 應 pairs 心 (heart) with 䧹 as a sound part; the simplified 应 is a later shorthand and its parts are not the original components.

Open 应 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 鏈; 链 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
Sound part声符shēngfú
連
連lián鏈liàn
Same sound today

The traditional form 鏈 pairs 金 (metal) with 連, which gives the sound; the simplified 链 is a shorthand and its parts are not the historical parts.

Open 链 →

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