协商 (xié shāng) — Chinese Word

verb HSK 5

Traditional 協商

xié shāng

to negotiate · to consult · to discuss

Meaning

协商 means to negotiate or consult with someone to reach an agreement or decision. It implies a collaborative discussion where parties exchange views and work toward consensus. The word emphasizes mutual communication and compromise rather than one-sided demands.

Usage

协商 is commonly used in formal or semi-formal contexts such as business negotiations, diplomatic discussions, and official decision-making processes. It often appears in phrases like '经过协商' (after negotiation) or '协商解决' (to resolve through negotiation). The word carries a cooperative connotation and is more formal than simple 讨论 (discuss).

Examples

01
双方经过协商达成了一致意见。
Shuāng fāng jīng guò xié shāng dá chéng le yī zhì yì jiàn.
Both parties reached a consensus after negotiation.
02
这个问题我们可以坐下来协商解决。
Zhè ge wèn tí wǒ men kě yǐ zuò xià lái xié shāng jiě jué.
We can sit down and resolve this issue through discussion.

Characters

Measure words

次cì进行了三次协商

Common collocations

协商解决
xié shāng jiě jué
to resolve through negotiation
经过协商
jīng guò xié shāng
after negotiation
协商一致
xié shāng yī zhì
to reach consensus through negotiation
友好协商
yǒu hǎo xié shāng
to negotiate amicably

Antonyms

Origin

协 originally meant 'to cooperate' or 'harmonize,' while 商 relates to 'discussion' or 'deliberation.' Together they form a word emphasizing cooperative discussion toward agreement.