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商谈 (shāng tán) — to negotiate; to discuss; to confer

Definition

A formal verb meaning to negotiate or confer, typically between two sides on business, policy, or contracts. More formal and structured than the everyday 谈 (tán) 'to talk/discuss'.

verb
to negotiateto discussto confer

Examples

  • 商谈。
    Míng tiān wǒ men yuē le kè hù shāng tán hé tong xì jié.
    Tomorrow we have an appointment with the client to negotiate contract details.
  • 商谈，。
    Jīng guò jǐ lún shāng tán, shuāng fāng zhōng yú dá chéng le gòng shí.
    After several rounds of discussion, both sides finally reached a consensus.
  • 商谈，。
    Zhè cì shāng tán fēi cháng zhòng yào, guān xì dào gōng sī de zhàn lüè fāng xiàng.
    This negotiation is very important and concerns the company's strategic direction.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

商shāngdiscuss
谈tántalk

Both 商 and 谈 mean talking over something, so together they express negotiating.

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 談; 谈 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yánspeech
Sound part声符shēngfú
炎
炎yán談tán
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

For 谈, the traditional form 談 pairs 言 (speech) with 炎 (yán) as the sound part.

Open 谈 →
Appears in
Business & CommerceCommunication & Speech

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