漫天要价 (màn tiān yào jià) — to ask an exorbitant price; to charge sky-high prices

Definition

Idiom: to demand an unreasonably high price, often as a negotiation tactic so the seller can come down. Pairs naturally with 讨价还价 (haggling) and 哄抬物价 (driving up prices).

idiom
to ask an exorbitant priceto charge sky-high prices

Examples

  • 漫天要价，。
    Nà ge xiǎo fàn zǒng shì màn tiān yào jià, nǐ dé hǎo hǎo gēn tā tǎo jià huán jià.
    That vendor always asks exorbitant prices; you have to bargain hard with him.
  • 漫天要价，。
    Zhè jiā gōng sī màn tiān yào jià, kè hù dōu zhuǎn dào bié de dì fāng qù le.
    This company charges sky-high prices, so customers have all gone elsewhere.
  • ，漫天要价。
    Mǎi dōng xī zhī qián xiān dǎ tīng yí xià jià gé, miǎn de duì fāng màn tiān yào jià.
    Before buying something, first ask about prices to avoid the other party asking an exorbitant price.

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.

漫天filling the sky
漫mànspread天tiānsky
动宾Verb + object
要价demand a price
要yàodemand价jiàprice
动宾Verb + object

漫天, filling the sky, magnifies 要价, asking a price, to picture charges raised sky-high.

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
氵Written in full as水shuǐ
Sound part声符shēngfú
曼
曼màn漫
Same sound today

漫 uses 氵 (water) and 曼 for the sound; 曼 also means “vast, extended,” showing water spread out or overflowing.

Open 漫 →

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
大大dà
Sound part声符shēngfú
丁
丁dīng天tiān
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The shape comes from a frontal standing man 大 with a head; 天 pairs 大 with 丁 for sound.

Open 天 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

要 began as a drawing of a person with both hands pointing to the waist.

Open 要 →

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
人人rén
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.

Open 价 →

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