囤积 (tún jī) — to stock up, to lay in supplies; to hoard (for speculation), to corner the market

Definition

To stockpile large quantities of goods, often out of fear of shortage or to drive up prices. 囤积 is more deliberate and large-scale than simply buying extra — it implies hoarding for speculation, as in the examples with masks and grain.

verb
to stock upto lay in suppliesto hoard (for speculation)to corner the market

Examples

  • 囤积。
    Yì qíng qī jiān hěn duō rén tún jī le dà liàng kǒu zhào.
    During the pandemic, many people hoarded large quantities of masks.
  • 囤积。
    Tā tún jī le zú gòu chī yì nián de liáng shi.
    He stockpiled enough grain to last a year.
  • 囤积。
    Zhè jiā gōng sī shì tú tún jī tóng kuàng yǐ lǒng duàn shì chǎng.
    This company tried to corner the copper market by hoarding.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

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

囤túnstore
积jīpile up

囤 means store and 积 means pile up, so the word denotes storing up in bulk or hoarding.

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 囤 →

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 積; 积 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
禾禾hé
Sound part声符shēngfú
責
責zé積jī
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 積 pairs 禾 (grain) with 責, which gives the sound; the simplified 积 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the historical parts.

Open 积 →

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