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专卖 (zhuān mài) — to have a monopoly on; to exclusively sell (a product or service)

Definition

专卖 is 'to have the exclusive right to sell' a product, often by law or brand policy (e.g. tobacco, imports). Unlike 贩卖, it implies legal, sanctioned control — not trafficking in contraband.

verb
to have a monopoly onto exclusively sell (a product or service)

Examples

  • 专卖。
    Zhè jiā diàn zhī zhuān mài jìn kǒu shí pǐn.
    This store exclusively sells imported food.
  • 专卖。
    Zhèng fǔ zhuān mài yān cǎo chǎn pǐn.
    The government monopolizes tobacco products.
  • 专卖。
    Zhè ge pǐn pái yóu yì jiā gōng sī zhuān mài.
    This brand is exclusively sold by one company.

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.

专zhuānexclusive
卖màisell

专 means exclusive and 卖 means sell, so it means to sell exclusively.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 專; 专 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 專 shows 又, a hand, turning 叀, a spindle; this came to mean gathering several things into one.

Open 专 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 賣; 卖 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 賣 came from an older shape that joined 出 (go out) with 買 (buy), which gives the sound. The simplified 卖 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the historical ones.

Open 卖 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Business & Commerce

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