拍卖商 (pāi mài shāng) — auctioneer

Definition

noun
auctioneer
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 拍卖商，。
    Zhè wèi pāi mài shāng jīng yàn fēng fù, zhǔ chí guò hěn duō dà xíng pāi mài huì.
    This auctioneer is very experienced and has hosted many large auctions.
  • 拍卖商，。
    pāi mài shāng De gōng zuò bù jǐn shì hǎn jià, hái yào liǎo jiě yì shù pǐn jià zhí.
    An auctioneer's job is not just to call bids but also to understand the value of artworks.
  • 拍卖商，。
    Tā kǎo qǔ le pāi mài shāng zī gé zhèng, zhǔn bèi jìn rù zhè ge háng yè.
    He obtained the auctioneer qualification certificate and is ready to enter this field.

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.

拍卖auction
拍pāibid卖màisell
联合Side by side
商shāngmerchant

A 商 who conducts 拍卖, that is, an auctioneer.

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
手手shǒuhand
Sound part声符shēngfú
白
白bái拍pāi
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

拍 puts 手 (hand) beside 白, which gives the pronunciation.

Open 拍 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 賣; 卖 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 賣 came from an older shape that joined 出 (go out) with 買 (buy), which gives the sound. The simplified 卖 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the historical ones.

Open 卖 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 商 →

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