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贸易 (mào yì) — trade, commerce

Definition

贸易 (màoyì) is the formal noun for 'trade' between regions or countries — broader and more official than 交易 (a single deal) and 买卖 (everyday business). Compare to 商业 (commerce as an industry) and 商务 (commercial affairs).

noun
tradecommerce
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 贸易。
    Wǒ men gōng sī hé xǔ duō guó jiā dōu yǒu mào yì guān xì.
    Our company has trade relations with many countries.
  • 。
    Liǎng guó zhī jiān de mào yì é jīn nián zēng zhǎng le bǎi fēn zhī shí.
    The trade volume between the two countries grew by ten percent this year.
  • 贸易。
    Tā men qiān le yí gè hěn hǎo de mào yì xié yì.
    They signed a very good trade agreement.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

贸màotrade
易yìexchange

贸易 pairs 贸 and 易, both about exchanging goods, to name commercial trade.

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 貿; 贸 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
貝貝bèicowrie
Sound part声符shēngfú
卯
卯mǎo貿mào
Same sound today

The traditional form 貿, not the simplified 贸, pairs 卯, giving its sound, with 貝, a cowrie.

Open 贸 →

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

The early form of 易 was a drawing of a filled container, not a chameleon. It showed something full that could be given out.

Open 易 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 6HSK 2.0 Level 5Economy & Trade

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