贸 mào commerce
commerce; trade
怎么记住“贸”: ⿰𠂎刀 mortise + 贝 sea shell = commerce. The harbour gate stays shut, its bar in the mortise, until the ship full of sea shell jewellery clears customs, and only then can commerce begin.
部件结构
形声 · Meaning + sound
One part gives the meaning, the other gives the sound.
贸 = ⿰𠂎刀 mortise + 贝 sea shell
- ⿰𠂎刀 mortise sound
- 贝 sea shell meaning
The harbour gate stays shut, its bar in the mortise, until the ship full of sea shell jewellery clears customs, and only then can commerce begin.
How it came to be
The shell gives the meaning and the top part gives the sound: to trade goods.
用法
- Almost entirely bound to trade: 贸易 (màoyì) trade, 外贸 (wàimào) foreign trade, 经贸 (jīngmào) economy-and-trade.
- Separately, 贸然 (màorán) means rashly/without thinking: 贸然行动 (màorán xíngdòng) to act rashly; unrelated sense to keep straight.