生意 shēngyi business
business; trade
How to remember 生意: 生 life + 意 idea = business.
Characters
How it is used
- Business/trade in the commercial sense - 做生意 (zuò shēngyi) to do business; 生意很好 (shēngyi hěn hǎo) business is good.
- Neutral tone yi. Contrast 商业 (shāngyè, commerce as a sector, more abstract) and 事业 (shìyè, a career/undertaking): 生意 is hands-on buying and selling, often small-scale.
- Common: 生意人 (shēngyi rén) businessperson/trader.
Example sentences
- 生意怎么样？ Shēngyì zěnmeyàng?How's business?
- 我不跟你这样的人做生意。 Wǒ bù gēn nǐ zhèyàng de rén zuòshēngyì.I don't make deals with people like you.
- 我要去跟他谈生意。 Wǒ yào qù gēn tā tán shēngyì.I will talk business with him.