Meaning of 卖
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- to sell
- to betray
- to spare no effort
- to show off or flaunt
How to use 卖
卖 is the everyday verb for selling goods, and it also appears in words like 外卖 (wàimài, takeout) and 拍卖 (pāimài, auction). It can also mean to betray, as in 出卖 (chūmài), or to show off, as in 卖弄 (màinong). Example: 这家店卖水果。(Zhè jiā diàn mài shuǐguǒ.) This shop sells fruit.
卖 (mài) looks like 买 (mǎi, to buy) with an extra 十 on top. Think of it this way: when you sell, you have more to offer, so the seller's character has something added.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 卖 (mài, fourth tone, to sell) and 买 (mǎi, third tone, to buy), both in writing and in tone. Remember that the falling fourth tone and the extra 十 on top both belong to selling.
卖 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
卖 mài · to sell · 8 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 卖.
| 外卖 | wàimài | (of a restaurant) to provide a takeout or home delivery meal; takeout (business) |
| 买卖 | mǎimai | to buy and sell |
| 出卖 | chūmài | to offer for sale; to sell; to sell out; to betray |
| 拍卖 | pāimài | to auction; auction sale |
| 贩卖 | fànmài | to sell; to peddle |
| 卖弄 | màinong | to show off; to make a display of |
| 倒卖 | dǎomài | to resell at a profit; to speculate |
| 专卖店 | zhuānmàidiàn | specialty store |
| 卖掉 | màidiào | to sell off |
| 卖命 | màimìng | to work tirelessly; to give one's all; to slave away; to throw away one's life; to sacrifi |
| 卖出 | màichū | to sell; to reach (a price in an auction) |
| 卖淫 | màiyín | prostitution; to prostitute oneself |
Questions about 卖
What does 卖 mean?
卖 (mài) means "to sell; to betray" and is used as a verb.
How do you write 卖?
卖 is made of 1 character: 卖 (8 strokes). That is 8 strokes in total.
Is 卖 an HSK word?
Yes. 卖 is on the HSK 2 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 卖 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 卖 is written 賣.
What does 买卖 mean if it combines buy and sell?
买卖 (mǎimai) means trade or business, the act of buying and selling together. Note that 卖 is usually read in the neutral tone in this word, as in 做买卖 (zuò mǎimai), to do business.
How do I say something is sold out using 卖?
You can say 卖完了 (mài wán le), meaning it has all been sold. For example, 票卖完了 (piào mài wán le) means the tickets are sold out.