貨 (huò) - goods, merchandise, commodities & money, currency

貨Tone 4

huò ｜ 11 strokes ｜ radical:

慧佳

貨 · huò

goods, merchandise, commodities;

money, currency;

a term of contempt for a person.

goods, merchandise, commoditiesmoney, currencya term of contempt for a person.

Usage highlights

goods and commoditiescurrencycargo shipfreight carproduct qualitypurchasing goods

Synonyms

  • 物— thing, object
  • 品— article, product
  • 商— merchandise, commerce

Antonyms

  • 钱— money (as opposed to goods)
  • 币— currency (as opposed to commodities)

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • The store sells various goods (货物).
  • He paid with foreign currency (外币).
  • The merchant loaded the cargo (货品) onto the ship.
  • This is a high-quality product (好货).

Collocations

  • goods and commodities(货物)
  • currency(货币)
  • cargo ship(货船)
  • freight car(货车)
  • product quality(货质)
  • purchasing goods(进货)

Idioms

  • Money can make the devil turn the millstone(有钱能使鬼推磨)
  • Bought at a high price(奇货可居)
  • A pile of useless junk(一堆废物)
  • Pay with one's life(以命抵货)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • In ancient China, 货 was closely associated with commerce and trade along the Silk Road.
  • The character reflects the historical importance of commodity exchange in Chinese economic development.
  • In modern usage, 货 can be used pejoratively to refer to people (e.g., 蠢货 - idiot, 贱货 - cheap person).

FAQ