Definitions
(noun)
commerce; trade; business
(noun)
merchant; trader
(verb)
to consult; to discuss
(noun)
Shang Dynasty (c. 1600-1046 BC)
About
The character "商" originally served as the name for the Shang Dynasty, with its semantic range later broadening to encompass the act of consultation or deliberation before narrowing to specifically denote merchants and all aspects of commercial exchange. In its traditional form, the character is structurally composed of elements conventionally interpreted as relating to speech and calculation, a configuration that aligns with its subsequent meanings in both trade and the mathematical term for quotient. This shift in meaning from a dynastic designation to a core concept in business and mathematics was informed by the historical commercial activities associated with the period.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
我去商店买东西。
我爸爸是个商人。
我们商量一下。
这些商品很便宜。
商业活动很频繁。
这个商场有很多店铺。
他们正在商谈合作事宜。
商务旅行需要提前准备。