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冒泡 (mào pào) — bubbling; (business slang) the first transaction of a business; a deal

Definition

Literally 'bubbling' (e.g. water about to boil). In business slang it also means the first sale/deal of a new venture — a milestone, not just any transaction.

noun
bubbling(business slang) the first transaction of a businessa deal

Examples

  • 冒泡。
    Shuǐ lǐ de mào pào shuō míng shuǐ kuài kāi le.
    The bubbling in the water shows that the water is about to boil.
  • 冒泡。
    Zhè ge mào pào shì wǒ men gōng sī de dì yī bǐ jiāo yì.
    This first deal is our company's first transaction.
  • 冒泡。
    Jīn tiān de mào pào ràng dà jiā dōu fēi cháng gāo xìng.
    Today's first deal made everyone very happy.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

冒màoemit
泡pàobubble

冒 means to emit and 泡 means bubbles, so the literal image is bubbling; the deal sense is slang.

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
目目mùeyes
Sound part声符shēngfú
冃
冃mào冒mào
Same sound today

冒 was built from 冃, a hat used for the sound, plus 目, eyes, as the meaning part.

Open 冒 →

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
氵Written in full as水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
包
包bāo泡pào
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

泡 combines 氵 (water) and 包, which supplies the sound. It conveys foam.

Open 泡 →
Appears in
Business & Commerce

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