市场
shìchǎng
The English word 'market' is translated into Chinese as 市场 (shìchǎng).
市场 refers to a gathering for trading. In business contexts, you may see the more specific term 交易市场 (jiāoyì shìchǎng) used to mean a 'trading market'.
Meaning: gathering for trading (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The word is composed of 市 (shì), meaning 'market' or 'city' and 场 (chǎng), meaning 'place' or 'field'.
Which one should you use?
While 市场 can refer to any market, people often use 菜市场 (càishìchǎng) when they are specifically referring to a local 'wet market' or a food market for buying meat and fresh produce. Additionally, do not confuse 市场 with 商场 (shāngchǎng), which refers specifically to a shopping center or mall.
How do you pronounce it?
shìchǎng
Did you know?
- While 市场 is the standard term, some regions use 集市 (jíshì) specifically for periodic markets that occur only on certain days of the lunar calendar.
- In ancient China, the 市 (shì) was strictly separated from the residential areas and governed by a 'market master' who controlled prices and quality.
- In modern China, 菜市场 (càishìchǎng) are often the primary social hubs for elderly residents, serving as 'community centers' rather than just places to buy food.
Examples in context
- 我要去市场。I will go to the market.This sentence is useful for expressing the intention to go to the 市场.Tatoeba #8832694 by crescat, translation #4168189 by Wuzzy
- 有什么办法呢？这些都是市场决定的。What can be done? These are market forces.This sentence demonstrates the use of 市场 to describe market forces.Tatoeba #13953449 by jan_OkulaJu, translation #2885716 by AlanF_US
- 在美国，由于投资者纷纷涌向包括黄金和美国国债在内的安全港，因此主要的股票市场指数在星期一一度下跌了3个百分点。In the United States, the major stock market indices at one point were down three percentage points on Monday, as investors rushed to safe havens, including gold and U.S. Treasury bonds.This sentence shows how 市场 is used in the context of stock market indices.Tatoeba #8581085 by slo_oth, translation #8577834 by Hybrid
- 你今天要去市场吗？(Nǐ jīntiān yào qù shìchǎng ma？)Are you going to the market today?
- 我们在商场见面吧。(Wǒmen zài shāngchǎng jiànmiàn ba.)Let's meet at the shopping center.
- 我喜欢探索本地市集。(Wǒ xǐhuān tànsuǒ běndì shìjí.)I love exploring local markets.
- 菜市场有各种新鲜农产品。(Cài shìchǎng yǒu gè zhǒng xīnxiān nóngchǎnpǐn.)The vegetable market has a wide range of fresh produce.
- 11 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
A couple is discussing where to buy fresh ingredients.
- 梓涵 Zihan附近有什么好的市场吗？Fùjìn yǒu shéme hǎo de shìchǎng ma?Is there a good market nearby?
- 志强 Zhiqiang这边的农贸市场很出名。Zhè biān de nóngmào shìchǎng hěn chūmíng.The farmers' market around here is very famous.
- 梓涵 Zihan那我们去那里买菜吧。Nà wǒmen qù nàlǐ mǎi cài ba.Then let's go there to buy groceries.
- 志强 Zhiqiang好的，我们现在就走。Hǎo de, wǒmen xiànzài jiù zǒu.Okay, let's go right now.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
