Chinese word

做生意

Pronunciation

Pinyinzuò shēng yì

Meaning

  • verbdo business

Example

他想自己做生意。tā xiǎng zì jǐ zuò shēng yì

He wants to do business on his own.

Illustration for 做生意 (do business)

More examples

他们通过网络做生意，客户增加了。tā men tōng guò wǎng luò zuò shēng yì kè hù zēng jiā le

They did business online, and their customer base grew.

Core concept

Commercial activity that turns exchange into a source of income, from a negotiated deal to an ongoing enterprise.

Common phrases

  • 自己做生意zì jǐ zuò shēng yì

    do business on one's own

  • 在市场做生意zài shì chǎng zuò shēng yì

    do business in the market

  • 和朋友做生意hé péng yǒu zuò shēng yì

    do business with friends

Similar words

经商jīng shāng: Engage in commerce by selling goods or services for profit.
经营jīng yíng: Manage and operate a shop or company to keep its business running profitably.
做买卖zuò mǎi mài: Buy and sell goods or services repeatedly to earn money from the price difference.
营业yíng yè: Operate a shop or company by providing goods or services to customers.

Definition in Chinese

通过买卖或交换进行营利性交易，常指以谈判、成交为目的的商谈和交易行为。tōng guò mǎi mài huò jiāo huàn jìn xíng yíng lì xìng jiāo yì cháng zhǐ yǐ tán pàn chéng jiāo wèi mù dì de shāng tán hé jiāo yì xíng wéi

Word origin

做 (zuò, "do") + 生意 (shēngyi, "business or livelihood") forms a phrase for carrying out trade, with 生意 developing from a livelihood to commercial activity.

Usage tips

  • In everyday Chinese, this phrase can cover a single deal, regular trading, or an ongoing enterprise, so context shows the scale of the activity.

Other meanings

  • run a businessverb

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word