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投标 (tóu biāo) — to bid, to submit a tender (in a competition or auction)

Definition

A formal/business term meaning 'to submit a bid or tender' in a competition or procurement contract. Refers specifically to the act of offering a proposal; the bidder is 投标人 and the process is 招标.

verb
to bidto submit a tender (in a competition or auction)

Examples

  • 投标。
    Wǒ men gōng sī zhǔn bèi tóu biāo.
    Our company is preparing to bid.
  • 。
    Tā men tóu le sān gè biāo.
    They submitted three bids.
  • 投标。
    Zhè cì tóu biāo dì shí jiān hěn jǐn.
    The deadline for this bid is very tight.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

投tóusubmit
标biāobid

投 (submit) acts on 标 (bid), meaning enter a bid.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
扌Written in full as手shǒuhand
Sound part声符shēngfú
殳
殳shū投tóu
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The left part 扌 shows a hand, and the right part 殳 gives the sound of the character.

Open 投 →

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 標; 标 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
木木mù
Sound part声符shēngfú
票
票piào標biāo
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 標 pairs 木 with 票, and 票 gives the sound; the simplified 标 is the modern form of that traditional character.

Open 标 →
Appears in
Business & Commerce

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