经商 (jīng shāng) — Chinese Word

verb HSK 5

Traditional 經商

jīng shāng

to engage in business · to do business · to be in commerce

Meaning

经商 means to engage in business or commercial activities. It refers to the act of running a business, trading goods, or conducting commerce as an occupation or profession. The word combines 经 (to manage, to conduct) with 商 (commerce, business), creating a formal term for business engagement.

Usage

This is a relatively formal term used in written Chinese and official contexts. Native speakers often use it when discussing someone's occupation or career choice in business. It's commonly used in phrases like 经商经验 (business experience) or 下海经商 (to go into business, literally 'plunge into the sea of commerce').

Examples

01
他辞职后决定自己经商。
Tā cí zhí hòu jué dìng zì jǐ jīng shāng.
After resigning, he decided to go into business for himself.
02
我父亲经商多年，积累了丰富的经验。
Wǒ fù qīn jīng shāng duō nián, jī lěi le fēng fù de jīng yàn.
My father has been in business for many years and has accumulated rich experience.

Characters

Common collocations

下海经商
xià hǎi jīng shāng
to go into business (often referring to leaving a stable job)
经商环境
jīng shāng huán jìng
business environment
经商经验
jīng shāng jīng yàn
business experience
弃文经商
qì wén jīng shāng
to give up scholarly pursuits for business

Origin

The word combines the classical character 经 (originally meaning 'warp threads' in weaving, extended to mean 'to manage' or 'to conduct') with 商 (which referred to the Shang Dynasty merchants and came to mean commerce in general).