Chinese word

买

Pronunciation

Pinyinmǎi

Meaning

  • verbbuy

Example

他昨天在市场买了菜。tā zuó tiān zài shì chǎng mǎi le cài

He bought vegetables at the market yesterday.

Illustration for 买 (buy)

More examples

我在网上买了电影票。wǒ zài wǎng shàng mǎi le diàn yǐng piào

I bought movie tickets online.

Core concept

An exchange that brings a chosen thing or service into someone's possession.

Common phrases

  • 买东西mǎi dōng xī

    buy things

  • 买票mǎi piào

    buy a ticket

  • 买菜mǎi cài

    buy vegetables

Similar words

卖mài: Give a possession to another person and receive payment for it.
给gěi: Pass a thing or money into another person's hands.

Definition in Chinese

以货币或等价物交换并取得某物或服务的及物动词。yǐ huò bì huò děng jià wù jiāo huàn bìng qǔ dé mǒu wù huò fú wù de jí wù dòng cí

Word origin

The simplified character 买 (mǎi, "buy") comes from traditional 買 (mǎi, "buy"), whose 貝 (bèi, "cowrie shell") component links the written form to the use of shells as money in ancient China.

Usage tips

  • In phrases such as 买菜 (mǎi cài, "buy vegetables"), the item follows 买 (mǎi, "buy"), showing the usual Chinese verb-object order.

Opposites

Word lists with this word