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卖主 (mài zhǔ) — seller

Definition

卖主 means 'the seller' in a transaction — it pairs naturally with 买主 ('the buyer'). Both are formal nouns, less common in everyday speech than the simple 卖家 and 买家.

noun
seller
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 卖主？
    Zhè wèi mài zhǔ yuàn yì jiàng jià ma?
    Is this seller willing to lower the price?
  • 卖主。
    mài zhǔ Hé mǎi jiā zài jià gé shàng dá chéng le xié yì.
    The seller and the buyer reached an agreement on the price.
  • 卖主，。
    Zuò wéi mài zhǔ, tā yǒu zé rèn tí gōng zhēn shí xìn xī.
    As the seller, he has the responsibility to provide truthful information.

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.

卖màisell
主zhǔperson

卖 points to selling, and 主 points to a person, together yielding one who sells.

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 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 →

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

The old forms that became 主 showed a lamp or torch with a flame at the top; other forms showed wood on fire or a spirit tablet.

Open 主 →
Appears in
Business & CommerceSocial Roles & Status

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