商 (shāng): Shang Dynasty (c. 1600–1046 BC), surname Shang, commerce
商 (shāng) is a Chinese character meaning “shang dynasty (c. 1600–1046 bc).” Classified as HSK Level 1 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), with radical 口 (mouth). It ranks #402 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 商 bright. Its radical form 口 (mouth) appears in many related characters such as 口 (kǒu, mouth), 叫 (jiào, to call, to be called), 右 (yòu, (bound form) right).
Definitions
- Shang Dynasty (c. 1600–1046 BC)
- surname Shang
- commerce
Etymology & Origin
pictophoneticbright
Decomposition: ⿱⿱亠丷冏 (layout: top-bottom)
Stroke Order
Practice writing 商 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 商
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | HSK |
|---|---|---|---|
| 商店noun | shāng diàn | store | 1 |
| 商量verb | shāng liang | to consult | 4 |
| 商业noun | shāng yè | business | 5 |
| 商场noun | shāng chǎng | shopping mall | 2 |
| 商人noun | shāng rén | merchant | 5 |
| 商品noun | shāng pǐn | commodity | 4 |
| 商务noun | shāng wù | commercial affairs | 5 |
| 商标noun | shāng biāo | trademark | 6 |
| 电商noun | diàn shāng | e-commerce (abbr. for 電子商務|电子商务[dian4 zi3 shang1 wu4]) | 5 |
| 厂商noun | chǎng shāng | manufacturer | 6 |
| 经商verb | jīng shāng | to trade | 6 |
| 商家noun | shāng jiā | merchant | 5 |
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 协商 | xié shāng | to consult with |
| 商讨 | shāng tǎo | to discuss |
| 商议 | shāng yì | to negotiate |
| 商会 | shāng huì | chamber of commerce |
| 商谈 | shāng tán | to confer |
| 商城 | shāng chéng | shopping center |
| 商界 | shāng jiè | business world |
| 商用 | shāng yòng | (attributive) commercial |
| 富商 | fù shāng | rich merchant |
| 商船 | shāng chuán | merchant ship |
| 工商 | gōng shāng | industry and commerce |
| 磋商 | cuō shāng | to consult |
| 奸商 | jiān shāng | profiteer |
| 商定 | shāng dìng | to agree |
| 商机 | shāng jī | business opportunity |
商 appears in 100 compound words: 68 as the first character, 32 as the last, and 0 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.
Strongest Collocations
Characters that most frequently co-occur with 商 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (10)
Example Sentences
这家商场正在搞促销活动，很多商品都打折。
Zhè jiā shāngchǎng zhèngzài gǎo cùxiāo huódòng, hěn duō shāngpǐn dōu dǎzhé.
This shopping mall is having a promotional event; many products are discounted.
黄金消费火热、春节不打烊,电商人一周三飞
huáng jīn xiāo fèi huǒ rè , chūn jié bù dǎ 烊 , diàn shāng rén yī zhōu sān fēi
Gold consumption is hot, the Spring Festival is not closed, and e-commerce people fly three times a week
把年味种在“商城之心”,在商博遇见另一种团圆
bǎ nián wèi zhǒng zài shāng chéng zhī xīn , zài shāng bó yù jiàn lìng yī zhǒng tuán yuán
Plant the flavor of the New Year in the "heart of the mall" and meet another reunion at the Business Expo
俄外长:俄美已商定建立双边经济工作组
é wài cháng é měi yǐ shāng dìng jiàn lì shuāng biān jīng jǐ gōng zuò zǔ
Russian Foreign Minister: Russia and the US have agreed to set up a bilateral economic working group
餐饮在线运营商再惠谋求新加坡和香港双重上市:尚未盈..
cān yǐn zài xiàn yùn yíng shāng zài huì móu qiú xīn jiā pō hé xiāng gǎng shuāng chóng shǎng shì shàng wèi yíng . .
F&B online operator Re-Wai seeks dual listing in Singapore and Hong Kong: not yet profitable...
新春纳福迎新,就来凯德虹口商业中心,福气好物一站式..
xīn chūn nà fú yíng xīn , jiù lái kǎi dé hóng kǒu shāng yè zhōng xīn , fú qì hǎo wù yī zhàn shì . .
Welcome the New Year with blessings and good fortune at CapitaMall Hongkou—your one-stop destination for lucky charms and treasures.
附近是不是有一间购物商场？
Fùjìn shìbùshì yǒu yī jiān gòuwù shāngchǎng?
Is there a mall near here?
这是一间免税商店吗？
Zhè shì yī jiān miǎnshuì shāngdiàn ma?
Is this a duty-free shop?
你的新商店什么时候开张？
Nǐ de xīn shāngdiàn shénmeshíhou kāizhāng?
When does your new store open?
旅馆里面有纪念品商店吗?
Lǚguǎn lǐmiàn yǒu jìniànpǐn shāngdiàn ma?
Is there a souvenir shop in the hotel?
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 商 (shāng) mean in Chinese?
What's the difference between 商 and 障?
How many strokes does 商 have?
What is the radical of 商?
What are common words containing 商?
What characters sound the same as 商 (shāng)?
Is 商 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 商 with real-time feedback
Trace stroke sequences, hear native pronunciation, and build lasting retention with spaced repetition in the HanziFeed app.