识货 (shí huò) — to know quality when you see it; to be a good judge of value (of goods, art, talent, etc.)

Definition

A verb meaning 'to recognize quality / be a good judge of goods.' Often used in questions like 你识不识货? to challenge someone's ability to spot real value.

verb
to know quality when you see itto be a good judge of value (of goods, art, talent, etc.)

Examples

  • 识货，。
    Tā zhēn de hěn shí huò, yì yǎn jiù kàn chū le zhè kuài yù de zhēn jiǎ.
    He really knows his stuff — he could tell at a glance whether this jade was real or fake.
  • 识货，。
    Lǎo bǎn hěn shí huò, zhī dào nǎ xiē yuán gōng zuì yǒu qián lì.
    The boss has a good eye — he knows which employees have the most potential.
  • 识货？。
    Nǐ shí bù shí huò? zhè fú huà kě shì míng jiā zuò pǐn.
    Do you know quality when you see it? This painting is by a famous artist.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

识shíknow
货huògoods

识 means to know or recognize, and 货 means goods; together they describe recognizing the quality of merchandise.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 識; 识 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yánsay
Sound part声符shēngfú
戠
戠zhí識zhì
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 識 pairs 言 (say) with 戠 as a sound part; the simplified 识 is a shorthand, so its parts are not the historical parts.

Open 识 →

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 貨; 货 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
貝貝bèishell, money
Sound part声符shēngfú
化
化huà貨huò
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 貨 pairs 化 (sound) with 貝 (shell, money) to write valuable goods; the simplified 货 is a shorthand.

Open 货 →

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