库存 (kù cún) — inventory, stock | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

库存 refers to a company's inventory or stock of goods — the merchandise it has on hand. 存货 is a near-synonym for the same retail/warehouse sense, while 储量 is for natural-resource reserves.

noun

inventorystock

Examples

库存。
Wǒ men gōng sī měi jì dù pán diǎn kù cún.
Our company does inventory every quarter.
库存。
Zhè ge yuè de kù cún bào gào yǐ jīng fā gěi nǐ le.
The inventory report for this month has been sent to you.
库存，。
kù cún Bù zú, xū yào gǎn jǐn bǔ huò.
Inventory is insufficient, we need to restock quickly.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

库kùwarehouse

存cúnstorage

库 means warehouse, and 存 means stored goods or storage; the sense is inventory.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 庫; 库 is its simplified writing.

广車庫

Meaning part形符xíngfú

广广guǎngbuilding

Sound part声符shēngfú

車

車jū庫kù

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 庫 pairs 广 (building) with 車 (sound); the building part points to a storehouse. The simplified 库 is a later shorthand.

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

Sound part声符shēngfú

才

才cái存cún

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

存 pairs 子 with 才, which was used for the sound.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 7-9 Business & Commerce

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