Chinese word

还价

Pronunciation

Pinyinhuán jià

Meaning

  • verbbargain

Example

买东西的时候可以试着还价，有时能省钱。mǎi dōng xī de shí hòu ké yǐ shì zhe huán jià yǒu shí néng shěng qián

When shopping, you can try bargaining, and sometimes save money.

Illustration for 还价 (bargain)

More examples

买礼物时，如果觉得贵，可以礼貌地和店员还价。mǎi lǐ wù shí rú guǒ jué de guì ké yǐ lǐ mào dì hé diàn yuán huán jià

When buying a gift, if you think it is expensive, you can politely bargain with the shop assistant.

Core concept

A lower price sent back in response to a seller's asking price, keeping the deal open for negotiation.

Common phrases

  • 和摊主还价hé tān zhǔ huán jià

    bargain with the stall owner

  • 试着还价shì zhe huán jià

    try bargaining

Similar words

讲价jiǎng jià: Negotiate the price of something in a shop or market to try to buy it more cheaply.
讨价还价tǎo jià huán jià: Haggle by exchanging price offers until both sides settle on a final amount.
砍价kǎn jià: Try to cut the price substantially when buying something.

Definition in Chinese

指在买卖时对卖方提出的价格作出回应，提出一个较低的价格以争取降低成交价。zhǐ zài mǎi mài shí duì mài fāng tí chū de jià gé zuò chū huí yìng tí chū yí gè jiào dī de jià gé yǐ zhēng qǔ jiàng dī chéng jiāo jià

Word origin

还 (huán, "return") + 价 (jià, "price") describes sending a different price back to the seller in response to the first one.

Usage tips

  • A gentle opening such as 可以便宜一点吗 (kěyǐ piányi yìdiǎn ma, "could it be a little cheaper?") usually sounds more natural than starting with a blunt demand for a lower price.

Other meanings

  • bargainingnoun

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word