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出卖 (chū mài) — to sell, to offer for sale; to betray, to sell out (a friend, one's country, etc.)

Definition

出卖 covers both 'sell' and 'betray' — its key contrast with 卖 and 出售 is the betrayal sense (friend, country). 背叛 is a plainer, more direct word for 'betray' without the 'sell' overlap.

verb
to sellto offer for saleto betrayto sell out (a friend, one's country, etc.)

Examples

  • 出卖。
    Tā bǎ shōu cáng le èr shí nián de zì huà dōu chū mài le.
    He sold off all the calligraphy paintings he had collected for twenty years.
  • 出卖。
    Nà ge pàn tú wèi le jīn qián chū mài le zì jǐ de guó jiā.
    That traitor betrayed his own country for money.
  • 出卖。
    Tā méi xiǎng dào zuì hǎo de péng you huì chū mài tā.
    He never expected his best friend would betray him.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

出chūput out
卖màisell

出 and 卖 both relate to selling, so the meaning is to sell, and by extension to betray.

Characters in this word

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

出 combines 止 (foot) and 凵 (cave) to show a foot stepping out of a cave.

Open 出 →

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 7-9HSK 2.0 Level 6Business & Commerce5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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