卖唱 (mài chàng) — to sing for a living (especially on the street or in public places)

Definition

A separable verb meaning to sing for a living, usually on the street or in a public place (busking). The object of what is sung can slip in: 卖…唱. Compare with 表演 (perform) — 卖唱 specifically highlights singing for money.

verb
to sing for a living (especially on the street or in public places)

Examples

  • 卖唱，。
    Tā zài tiān qiáo shàng mài chàng, yì tiān néng zhèng jǐ bǎi kuài.
    He busks on the pedestrian bridge and can earn a few hundred yuan a day.
  • ，。
    Tā nián qīng shí mài guò jǐ cì chàng, hòu lái cái qù le zhuān yè yuàn xiào.
    When she was young she busked a few times, and only later went to a professional conservatory.
  • ，卖唱。
    Wèi le shēng huó, tā zhǐ néng kào mài chàng wéi chí shēng jì.
    To make a living, he can only rely on busking to support himself.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

卖màisell
唱chàngsinging

卖 means selling and 唱 means singing, so the word means selling one's singing for a living.

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 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
口口kǒu
Sound part声符shēngfú
昌
昌chāng唱chàng
Same sound today

The 口 part points to the mouth, while 昌 shows how the character is pronounced.

Open 唱 →

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