Chinese word

商贾

Pronunciation

Pinyinshāng gǔ

Meaning

  • nounmerchant

Example

这些商贾都来自外地。zhè xiē shāng gǔ dōu lái zì wài dì

These merchants all come from out of town.

Illustration for 商贾 (merchant)

More examples

节日里，商贾云集，街道上人声鼎沸。jié rì lǐ shāng gǔ yún jí jiē dào shàng rén shēng dǐng fèi

During the festival, merchants gather, and the streets are bustling with voices.

Core concept

People who earn a living by putting goods into buyers' hands, from a traveling seller to a shopkeeper.

Common phrases

  • 商贾云集shāng gǔ yún jí

    merchants gather

  • 商贾往来shāng gǔ wǎng lái

    merchants come and go

  • 市井商贾shì jǐng shāng gǔ

    marketplace merchants

Similar words

商人shāng rén: A person who buys and sells goods for a living.
店主diàn zhǔ: The owner or person responsible for running a shop.
商贩shāng fàn: A trader who sells goods in a market or along a street.
小贩xiǎo fàn: A small-scale seller who offers goods from a stall or on a street.

Definition in Chinese

泛指从事贸易买卖的人，既包括行商也包括经营店铺的商人。fàn zhǐ cóng shì mào yì mǎi mài de rén jì bāo kuò xíng shāng yě bāo kuò jīng yíng diàn pù de shāng rén

Word origin

商贾 (shānggǔ, "merchants") combines 商 (shāng, "commerce") with 贾 (gǔ, "merchant"), forming a compact term for people engaged in trade.

Usage tips

  • In everyday conversation, this noun sounds formal or literary and appears more often in historical writing, formal prose, or reports than in casual talk.

Other meanings

  • shopkeepernoun
  • peddlernoun

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word