賣 meaning and stroke order
To sell; to betray; to show off
How to write 賣, stroke by stroke
15 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
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Meaning of 賣
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to sell
- to betray
- to spare no effort
- to show off or flaunt
How 賣 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Money.
貝 gives the meaning and 买 hints at the sound.
Radical: 貝 (sea shell), shared by 62 characters on this site.
How to remember 賣
賣 is 買 (mǎi, to buy) with 士 added on top. The 貝 (shell, old money) at the bottom shows trade, and the extra piece on top reminds you that selling is buying plus something sent back out.
賣 (mài) means to sell, and in words like 出賣 (chūmài) it also means to betray. In 賣弄 (màinong) it means to show off. Example: 他在網上賣衣服。(Tā zài wǎng shàng mài yīfu.) He sells clothes online.
Common mistake: Learners mix up 賣 (mài, fourth tone, sell) and 買 (mǎi, third tone, buy), which look almost the same. Remember that 賣 has the extra 士 on top, and say its tone falling sharply.
Common words with 賣
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 外賣 | wàimài | (of a restaurant) to provide a takeout or home delivery meal; takeout (business) | HSK 2 |
| 買賣 | mǎimai | to buy and sell | HSK 5 |
| 出賣 | chūmài | to offer for sale; to sell; to sell out; to betray | HSK 7-9 |
| 拍賣 | pāimài | to auction; auction sale | HSK 7-9 |
| 販賣 | fànmài | to sell; to peddle | HSK 7-9 |
| 賣弄 | màinong | to show off; to make a display of | HSK 7-9 |
| 倒賣 | dǎomài | to resell at a profit; to speculate | HSK 7-9 |
| 專賣店 | zhuānmàidiàn | specialty store | HSK 7-9 |
| 賣掉 | màidiào | to sell off | |
| 賣命 | màimìng | to work tirelessly; to give one's all; to slave away; to throw away one's life; to sacrifi | |
| 賣出 | màichū | to sell; to reach (a price in an auction) | |
| 賣淫 | màiyín | prostitution; to prostitute oneself | |
| 賣力 | màilì | to work hard; to do one's very best | |
| 賣完 | màiwán | to be sold out |
Characters that contain 賣
Learning 賣 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 賣
How many strokes are in 賣?
賣 is written with 15 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 賣 mean?
賣 (mài) means to sell; to betray; to show off. A common word with it is 外卖 (wàimài), meaning "(of a restaurant) to provide a takeout or home delivery meal; takeout (business)".
How do you pronounce 賣?
賣 is pronounced mài, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 賣?
The radical of 賣 is 貝, which carries the idea of "sea shell". Dictionaries list 賣 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 賣?
賣 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 卖, used in mainland China and Singapore.
How do I say 'to buy and sell' or 'business' with this character?
Use 買賣 (mǎimai). It can mean the act of buying and selling, or a small business, as in 做買賣 (zuò mǎimai), to do business.
What does 外賣 mean in everyday life?
外賣 (wàimài) means takeout or food delivery. People often say 點外賣 (diǎn wàimài) to mean ordering delivery food, usually through an app.