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商务 (shāng wù) — business, commerce, commercial affairs

Definition

商务 refers to 'business' as an activity or field (meetings, travel, cooperation) — the abstract side of commerce. 商业 is the broader industry/sector; 贸易 focuses specifically on buying and selling across markets.

noun
businesscommercecommercial affairs

Examples

  • 商务。
    Tā zhèng zài cān jiā yí gè shāng wù huì yì.
    He is attending a business meeting.
  • 商务。
    Zhè jiā gōng sī zhǔ yào zuò shāng wù lǚ xíng fú wù.
    This company mainly provides business travel services.
  • 商务。
    Wǒ men xū yào kuò dà shāng wù hé zuò.
    We need to expand business cooperation.

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.

商shāngcommerce
务wùaffairs

商 (commerce) plus 务 (affairs) gives business matters.

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 商 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 務; 务 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
力力lìstrength
Sound part声符shēngfú
敄
敄wù務wù
Same sound today

In the traditional form 務, 力 shows the sense of strength or effort, while 敄 gives the sound. The simplified 务 is a later shorthand.

Open 务 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 5Business & Commerce

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