售书 (shòu shū) — to sell books | tongtong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

售书 is a written/formal verb meaning 'to sell books,' typically used in business or official contexts rather than everyday speech. It contrasts with the more colloquial 卖书.

verb

to sell books

Examples

售书。
Zhè jiā shū diàn zhǔ yào shòu shū jiào yù lèi shū jí.
This bookstore mainly sells educational books.
。
Shàng ge yuè wǒ men shòu le wǔ qiān běn jiào cái.
Last month we sold five thousand textbooks.
售书。
Tā cóng lái bú shòu shū dào bǎn shū.
He never sells pirated books.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

售 expresses selling and 书 is the books sold.

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

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 書; 书 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

聿聿yùwriting brush

Sound part声符shēngfú

者

者zhě書shū

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

The traditional form 書 uses 聿, a writing brush, and 者 for its sound; the simplified 书 is a later shorthand.

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