商 (shāng) - Commerce, trade, business & merchant

商Tone 1

shāng ｜ 11 strokes ｜ radical:

善上

商 · shāng

Commerce, trade, business;

merchant;

to discuss, consult;

the Shang dynasty (c.

1600–1046 BCE);

quotient in mathematics;

a musical note in traditional Chinese music.

Commerce, trade, businessmerchantto discuss, consult

Usage highlights

Commerce and tradeMerchantTo discussShang dynastyCommodityBusiness discussion

Synonyms

  • 贸— trade, commerce
  • 贾— merchant, trade
  • 议— discuss, deliberate

Antonyms

  • 农— agriculture, farming (as opposed to commerce)

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • He works in international trade (国际贸易).
  • We need to discuss the details (商量细节).
  • The Shang dynasty was an early Chinese dynasty (商朝).
  • The quotient is the result of division (商数).

Collocations

  • Commerce and trade(商业)
  • Merchant(商人)
  • To discuss(商量)
  • Shang dynasty(商朝)
  • Commodity(商品)
  • Business discussion(商谈)

Idioms

  • From the same trade(同行是冤家)
  • A meeting of minds(情投意合)
  • To consult and deliberate together(共同商议)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • The Shang dynasty (c. 1600–1046 BCE) was the second dynasty in Chinese history, known for its bronze casting and oracle bone script.
  • In traditional Chinese society, merchants were ranked lowest in the four occupations (scholars, farmers, artisans, merchants).
  • The character appears in many business-related terms reflecting China's long history of commerce.

FAQ