贩

販

fàn

反 + 贝

Definitions

fàn (verb) to trade in; to deal in

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 贝 represents the meaning and 反 represents the sound. Simplified form of 販.

Semantic: 贝 Phonetic: 反

About

The traditional form 販 is a phono-semantic compound with the cowry shell radical 貝 (bèi) on the left and the phonetic component 反 (fǎn) on the right; its simplified version 贩 replaces 貝 with 贝 while the phonetic remains unchanged. The cowry shell radical serves as a historical marker for ancient currency, connecting the character to concepts of money, wealth, and trade. It means trading or peddling goods for profit, typically referring to small-scale merchants and street vendors. However, it also carries a negative connotation when referring to illegal trafficking or smuggling of prohibited goods.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

他是水果小贩。

Tā shì shuǐguǒ xiǎofàn.

He is a fruit vendor.

贩子在街头叫卖。

Fànzi zài jiētóu jiàomài.

The peddler is hawking on the street.

她贩卖各种手工制品。

Tā fànmài gèzhǒng shǒugōng zhìpǐn.

She sells various handmade products.

警方逮捕了毒品贩子。

Jǐngfāng dàibǔle dúpǐn fànzi.

The police arrested drug dealers.

这个团伙专门贩卖人口。

Zhè ge tuánhuǒ zhuānmén fànmài rénkǒu.

This gang specializes in human trafficking.

他因贩卖盗版软件被罚款。

Tā yīn fànmài dàobǎn ruǎnjiàn bèi fákuǎn.

He was fined for selling pirated software.

这些商贩经常在夜市摆摊。

Zhèxiē shāngfàn jīngcháng zài yèshì bǎitān.

These vendors often set up stalls at the night market.

国际刑警组织正在调查跨国贩卖野生动物案件。

Guójì xíngjǐng zǔzhī zhèngzài diàochá kuàguó fànmài yěshēng dòngwù ànjiàn.

Interpol is investigating cross-border wildlife trafficking cases.

Related Characters

Component: 反

Component: 贝

贩