折扣
zhékòu
In Chinese, 'discounts' is expressed as 折扣 (zhékòu).
折扣 refers to a reduction in the original price of a product or service.
What does it mean word for word?
The word 折扣 consists of 折 (zhé), meaning to break or bend and 扣 (kòu), meaning to deduct or subtract.
Which one should you use?
折扣 is a noun meaning 'discount', whereas the verb 打折 is used to describe the actual action of discounting a price.
How does it change in a sentence?
To express a specific discount percentage, Chinese uses the pattern 打 (dǎ) followed by the percentage of the original price that remains. For example, 打八折 (dǎ bā zhé) means you pay 80% of the original price, which is equivalent to a 20% discount.
How do you pronounce it?
zhékòu
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly use the discount amount directly with the word. In Chinese, the number used in a discount represents the percentage of the price you actually pay rather than the amount taken off.
Did you know?
- While English uses 'off' to denote a discount, Chinese uses 打, which means 'to hit'. Effectively, saying 打折 is like saying you are 'hitting' the price down.
- While 打折 describes a price reduction, the term 砍价 (kǎn jià) is used for the act of haggling. It literally translates to 'cutting the price', suggesting a much more aggressive action than a simple 'discount'.
- In Chinese culture, the process of getting a 折扣 often involves 'haggling', where the buyer and seller negotiate the final price aloud. This is common in street markets but rare in department stores.
Examples in context
- 我可能會線上查看優惠與折扣。I might check for sales or discounts online.This sentence shows how to use 折扣 when talking about checking for sales or discounts online.Tatoeba #13190516 by LeviHighway, translation #13190416 by Nuel
- 電影院每週一和每週三都有折扣。The cinema gives discounts every Monday and Wednesday.This sentence shows how 折扣 is used to describe regular discounts at a cinema.Tatoeba #13556481 by LeviHighway, translation #10263466 by sundown
- 電影院每個星期一和星期三都有折扣。The movie theater has discounts every Monday and Wednesday.This sentence provides another way to express that a movie theater has regular discounts.Tatoeba #6120150 by xjjAstrus, translation #6138593 by Sethlang
- 有折扣吗?Is there a discount?
- 这件商品有优惠吗?Is there any discount for this product?
- 这件衣服能减价吗?Can the price of this clothing be reduced?
- 最近这种手机降价了吗?Has the price of this type of mobile phone dropped recently?
- 这个牌子的鞋打折了吗?Are these shoes on sale?
- 这个周末商场都会打折扣吗?Will all the shopping malls be discounting this weekend?
- 这个电视机是特价的吗?Is this television set on special offer?
Example conversation
Two friends are shopping at a department store.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen志强，你看这件衣服有折扣吗？Zhìqiáng, nǐ kàn zhè jiàn yīfu yǒu zhékòu ma?Zhiqiang, do you see if there's a discount on this clothing?
- 志强 Zhiqiang没有折扣，但是质量很好。Méiyǒu zhékòu, dànshì zhìliàng hěn hǎo.There is no discount, but the quality is very good.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen那还是算了，我只想买有折扣的。Nà háishi suànle, wǒ zhǐ xiǎng mǎi yǒu zhékòu de.Then forget it, I only want to buy things with discounts.
- 志强 Zhiqiang好吧，晓雯，我们去那边看看。Hǎo ba, Xiǎowén, wǒmen qù nàbiān kànkan.Okay, Xiaowen, let's go look over there.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
