About
The character 贩 (traditional: 販) is a phono-semantic compound. Its left component, the cowry shell radical 贝 (bèi), indicates the semantic category of money, trade, and commerce, a reference to the use of cowries as ancient currency. The right component, 反 (fǎn), provides the pronunciation. The core meaning refers to buying and selling goods for profit, often implying small-scale commerce like street vending. It can also carry a negative sense, as in trafficking or smuggling illegal items.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
他是水果小贩。
贩子在街头叫卖。
她贩卖各种手工制品。
警方逮捕了毒品贩子。
这个团伙专门贩卖人口。
他因贩卖盗版软件被罚款。
这些商贩经常在夜市摆摊。
国际刑警组织正在调查跨国贩卖野生动物案件。