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商机 (shāng jī) — business opportunity

Definition

商机 means a 'business opportunity' — a chance to make money or grow a business, not a general opportunity (compare 机遇, which is any favorable circumstance). Pairs with verbs like 抓住 or 寻找, unlike 商业 ('commerce') or 商务 ('commercial affairs').

noun
business opportunity
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 商机。
    Zhè jiā gōng sī zhuā zhù le xīn de shāng jī.
    This company seized a new business opportunity.
  • 商机。
    Hù lián wǎng háng yè chōng mǎn le shāng jī.
    The internet industry is full of business opportunities.
  • 商机。
    Tā zhèng zài xún zhǎo hé shì de shāng jī.
    He is looking for a suitable business opportunity.

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shāngbusiness
机jīopportunity

'商' conveys business or trade, and '机' adds opportunity, together meaning a commercial chance.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
木木mùtree; wood
Sound part声符shēngfú
几
几jǐ机jī
Same sound today

The left part is 木 (tree; wood), and the right part 几 gives the sound.

Open 机 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9

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