廉价 (lián jià) — inexpensive, low-cost, cheap | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

廉价 describes a price that is artificially or unusually low (budget airlines, discount labor, bargain goods). Often implies lower quality — stronger and more negative than 便宜 ('just cheap').

adjective

inexpensivelow-costcheap

Examples

廉价。
lián jià Háng kōng ràng gèng duō rén néng zuò fēi jī lǚ xíng.
Low-cost airlines allow more people to travel by plane.
，廉价。
Gōng sī wèi le jié yuē chéng běn, dà liàng shǐ yòng lián jià láo dòng lì.
To save costs, the company heavily uses cheap labor.
廉价。
Zhè jiā chāo shì de lián jià shāng pǐn zhì liàng hěn bú cuò.
The quality of the inexpensive goods at this supermarket is quite good.

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.

廉liáninexpensive

廉 means inexpensive and 价 means price, so 廉价 describes a low price.

Characters in this word

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

广兼廉

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

兼

兼jiān廉lián

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

廉 pairs 广 with 兼; 兼 supplies the sound.

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

人介价

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

介

介jiè价jiè

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

价 pairs 人 (person) with 介, which gives the sound.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 7-9 Money & Currency

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