生意经 (shēng yì jīng) — business acumen; shrewd business sense or method

Definition

Literally 'the sutra of business' — 生意 means business, 经 here means 'knack, formula, or secret script'. Refers to a person's shrewd know-how or tried-and-true method for making money.

noun
business acumenshrewd business sense or method

Examples

  • 生意经。
    Zhè wèi lǎo shāng rén yǒu zì jǐ de yí tào shēng yì jīng.
    This old merchant has his own set of business tricks.
  • ？。
    Nǐ xiǎng xué shēng yì jīng ma? xiān cóng xiǎo shēng yì zuò qǐ.
    Want to learn the business knack? Start with a small venture first.
  • 生意经：。
    Tā de shēng yì jīng hěn jiǎn dān: bó lì duō xiāo.
    His business formula is simple: small profits but quick turnover.

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.

生意business
生shēnglivelihood意yìidea
偏正Modifier + head
经jīngscripture

“生” and “意” give the idea of business, and “经” means scripture or method.

Characters in this word

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

生 shows 屮 (a bud) above 一 (the ground), drawing a sprout coming up from the earth.

Open 生 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 意 →

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 經; 经 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
糹Written in full as糸mìsilk; thread
Sound part声符shēngfú
巠
巠jīng經jīng
Same sound today

The traditional form 經 combines 糹 (silk; thread) with 巠, which gives the sound.

Open 经 →

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