贸 (mào) — (bound form) commerce, trade
Definition
A bound morpheme meaning 'trade' — it does not stand alone, only appearing in set compounds like 贸易, 外贸, and 经贸.
bound form
commercetrade
Examples
- 。Zhōng měi zhī jiān de mào yì guān xì fēi cháng zhòng yào.The trade relationship between China and the US is very important.
- 。Wǒ men gōng sī zhǔ yào zuò wài mào shēng yì.Our company mainly does foreign trade business.
- 。Jīng mào hé zuò shì liǎng guó guān xì de jī chǔ.Economic and trade cooperation is the foundation of the bilateral relationship.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost 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
The traditional form 貿, not the simplified 贸, pairs 卯, giving its sound, with 貝, a cowrie.
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