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卖座 (mài zuò) — (of movies, plays, etc.) to be popular at the box office; to draw a large audience

Definition

卖座 means a film, play, or show draws a big audience and sells well at the box office. Used as an adjective (很卖座 / 最卖座), not a verb.

adjective
(of movies, plays, etc.) to be popular at the box officeto draw a large audience

Examples

  • 卖座，。
    Zhè bù diàn yǐng hěn mài zuò, hěn duō rén dōu xiǎng qù kàn.
    This movie is a big hit; many people want to go see it.
  • 卖座？
    Qù nián zuì mài zuò de diàn yǐng shì shén me?
    What was the most popular movie last year?
  • 卖座，。
    Zhè bù huà jù bú mài zuò, guān zhòng hěn shǎo.
    This play didn't draw well; the audience was very small.

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
座zuòseat

'卖' means sell and '座' means seats, so the image is selling seats in large numbers.

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
广广guǎnghouse on cliff
Sound part声符shēngfú
坐
坐zuò座zuò
Same sound today

座 pairs 广, a house on a cliff, with 坐 to give the sound.

Open 座 →
Appears in
Film & Theater

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