要价 (yào jià) — to ask for a price; to charge a certain price | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

要价 is a verb meaning to name or ask for a price (what a seller charges or a buyer offers). It focuses on the act of stating a price, not on bargaining or haggling.

verb

to ask for a priceto charge a certain price

Examples

要价，。
Zhè ge shāng fàn yào jià tài gāo le, wǒ mǎi bù qǐ.
This vendor's asking price is too high; I can't afford it.
。
Tā gēn wǒ yào le hěn gāo de jià.
He charged me a very high price.
要价。
Mǎi dōng xī zhī qián zuì hǎo xiān wèn qīng chǔ yào jià.
Before buying something, it's best to ask clearly about the price.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

要 means ask or demand and 价 means price; asking a price gives the sense of charging.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

要 began as a drawing of a person with both hands pointing to the waist.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

人介价

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

介

介jiè价jiè

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

价 pairs 人 (person) with 介, which gives the sound.

Appears in

Shopping & Errands

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