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供需 (gōng xū) — supply and demand

Definition

供需 and 供求 both mean 'supply and demand' and are interchangeable. 供 focuses on what is supplied, 求 on what is demanded — most common in fixed phrases like 供需关系.

noun
supply and demand

Examples

  • 供需。
    Shì chǎng de gōng xū jué dìng le shāng pǐn de jià gé.
    Market supply and demand determines the price of goods.
  • 供需。
    Jīng jì wēi jī cháng cháng dǎ pò yuán yǒu de gōng xū píng héng.
    Economic crises often disrupt the original supply-demand balance.
  • 供需。
    Zhèng fǔ cǎi qǔ cuò shī lái tiáo jié gōng xū guān xì.
    The government takes measures to regulate supply-demand relations.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

供gòngsupply
需xūdemand

Combines 供 meaning supply with 需 meaning demand to name the two market forces.

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 →

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

需 originally showed 天, here a person, under 雨, rain, as someone getting wet.

Open 需 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9

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