Ways to say it
| Mandarin | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 便宜貨 / 便宜货 | piányihuò |
| 廉價品 / 廉价品 | liánjiàpǐn |
When you want to refer to a bargain as a noun, you can use 便宜貨 / 便宜货 or 廉價品 / 廉价品. If you wish to use 'bargain' as an adjective to describe an item (for example, 'This is very cheap'), you can simply use the adjective 便宜.
What does it mean word for word?
The term 便宜貨 / 便宜货 is composed of 便宜 (cheap) and 貨 (goods).
Which one should you use?
While both terms refer to low-priced items, 便宜貨 / 便宜货 often carries a connotation that the item is of low quality because it is so cheap. In contrast, 廉價品 / 廉价品 is a more neutral or formal way to describe low-priced goods.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
When talking about the action of bargaining, the verb 砍價 is commonly used in daily conversations and is associated with haggling over prices. For formal business or official contexts, use 議價 to mean negotiating a price. The term 侃價 / 侃价 is also a related verb form.
Related words
How do you pronounce it?
piányihuò
Did you know?
- If you use the term 便宜 / 便宜 to describe a person instead of an object, you are not calling them a 'bargain', but rather insulting them by suggesting they are 'easy' to manipulate.
- The verb 砍價 / 砍价 literally translates to 'to chop the price'. It creates a vivid mental image of physically hacking away at a price tag until it reaches a level you like.
- The word 廉價 / 廉价 uses the character 廉, which is also found in the word for 'integrity' or 'honesty'. This explains why the term feels more formal and dignified than the casual 便宜.
Examples in context
- 这件商品真实惠 (Zhè jiàn shāngpǐn zhēn shíhuì)This product is really worth the price.
- 我们可以讨价还价吗？(Wǒmen kěyǐ tǎojià huánjià ma?)Can we bargain with the price?
- 我在市场上砍价买到了这个东西 (Wǒ zài shìchǎng shàng kǎnjià mǎi dàole zhège dōngxi)I bargained and bought this item at the market.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “bargain” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
