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掮客 (qián kè) — (derogatory) broker, middleman, fixer

Definition

掮客 is a written, derogatory word for a broker or middleman who makes money by arranging deals — usually shady or political ones, not the neutral 'agent' sense of 经纪人.

noun
(derogatory) brokermiddlemanfixer

Examples

  • 掮客，。
    Zhè ge qián kè zài liǎng biān zhī jiān lái huí cuō he, zhuàn le bù shǎo hēi qián.
    This broker shuttled between the two sides and made a lot of dirty money.
  • 掮客，。
    Tā jiù shì yí gè zhèng zhì qián kè, kào guān xì lāo qián.
    He's just a political broker, making money off his connections.
  • 掮客，。
    Nà xiē qián kè bǎ huò wù zǒu sī dào guó wài, wán quán bú gù fǎ lǜ.
    Those brokers smuggled goods abroad, completely disregarding the law.

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.

掮qiáncarry
客kèperson

'掮' (carry) plus '客' (person) names someone who carries deals between parties.

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

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
宀宀miánroof
Sound part声符shēngfú
各
各gè客kè
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

In 客, 宀 is a roof and 各 gives the sound; the character meant a guest.

Open 客 →
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