购物中心
gòuwù zhōngxīn
The English phrase "shopping mall" is translated into Chinese as 购物中心 (gòuwù zhōngxīn).
购物中心 refers to a shopping center or complex, which is a large building or complex containing many different stores and restaurants. When visiting a 购物中心, people often use the verb 逛街 to describe the activity of wandering through shops or window shopping.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase 购物中心 is composed of 购物, which means "shopping" and 中心, which means "center".
Which one should you use?
While 购物中心 refers to a shopping center or complex, 商场 is a common alternative often used to refer to large-scale commercial shopping areas or department stores.
How do you pronounce it?
gòuwù zhōngxīn
Did you know?
- When describing the act of 'hitting the mall' or heavy shopping, people might use the term 扫货 (sǎohuò), which literally means to 'sweep up goods'.
- The term 商场 used for malls comes from the word 场, which historically referred to an open marketplace or an arena where goods were traded.
- Many Chinese shoppers use mobile payment apps like WeChat or Alipay inside a 购物中心, making the physical 'cashier' area almost obsolete in many stores.
Examples in context
- 当我离开购物中心，车子不在我停的地方。When I left the shopping mall, my car was no longer where I had parked it.This sentence is useful for seeing how to use 购物中心 when talking about leaving a location.Tatoeba #4765438 by ryanwoo, translation #13587137 by LeviHighway
- 我们去购物中心逛逛吧！Let's go to the shopping mall and have a look!
- 那个大型商场有很多国际品牌。That large-scale mall has many international brands.
- 咱们去商场看看吧！Let's go to the mall and have a look!
- 我们约好了在购物广场见面。We agreed to meet at the shopping plaza.
- 这个购物中心很大。Zhège gòuwù zhòngxīn hěn dà.This shopping mall is very large.
- 我们去购物中心逛逛吧。Wǒmen qù gòuwù zhòngxīn guàngguang ba.Let's go wander around the shopping mall.
Example conversation
Two friends are deciding where to go for the afternoon.
- 雨婷 Yuting浩然，我们去购物中心吧。Hàorán, wǒmen qù gòuwù zhōngxīn ba.Haoran, let's go to the shopping mall.
- 浩然 Haoran好啊，你想在那儿买什么？Hǎo a, nǐ xiǎng zài nà'er mǎi shénme?Sure, what do you want to buy there?
- 雨婷 Yuting我想买一双新鞋子。Wǒ xiǎng mǎi yī shuāng xīn xiézi.I want to buy a pair of new shoes.
- 浩然 Haoran没问题，我们现在就出发。Méi wèntí, wǒmen xiànzài jiù chūfā.No problem, let's leave now.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
