加码 (jiā mǎ) — (v.o.) to raise the price of a commodity; to overcharge; (v.o.) to raise the stakes (in gambling); to increase the level or amount (in a figurative sense)

Definition

加码 (jiā mǎ) literally means 'add chips' — a verb-object phrase meaning to raise the stakes, price, or level of effort. It implies a deliberate, often repeated escalation, not a single adjustment.

verb
(v.o.) to raise the price of a commodityto overcharge(v.o.) to raise the stakes (in gambling)to increase the level or amount (in a figurative sense)

Examples

  • ，加码。
    Chūn jié qián, xǔ duō shāng jiā qiāo qiāo bǎ shāng pǐn jiā mǎ.
    Before the Spring Festival, many businesses quietly raised the prices of their goods.
  • 加码，。
    Dǔ jú zhōng tā bú duàn jiā mǎ, zuì hòu shū guāng le suǒ yǒu qián.
    In the gambling game he kept raising the stakes and lost all his money in the end.
  • ，。
    Zhè ge fāng àn wǒ men jiā le sān cì mǎ, tóu rù gèng duō zī yuán.
    We raised the bar three times for this plan, investing more resources.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

加jiāadd/increase
码mǎstake

加 means add/increase and 码 means stake, so stakes or prices are raised.

Characters in this word

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

加 pairs 力 and 口. In one explanation 力 is strength and 口 is the mouth, meaning exaggeration; in another 力 is plowing effort and 口 is breath or exclamation, meaning extra effort.

Open 加 →

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 碼; 码 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
石石shístone; rock
Sound part声符shēngfú
馬
馬mǎ碼mǎ
Same sound today

The traditional form 碼 pairs 石 (stone) with 馬 for its sound; the simplified 码 is a later shorthand.

Open 码 →

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