商场

• Pinyin: shāng chǎng
• Hanzi breakdown: 商 = commerce/business (an ancient character depicting a merchant); 场 = 土 (earth) + 昜 (phonetic), meaning a place or venue

Meaning

Shopping mall; shopping centre. A large retail building with many shops.

Refers to a large indoor shopping complex with multiple stores, food courts, and entertainment. Different from 商店 (a single shop). Very common in Chinese cities, where shopping malls are major social and leisure destinations.

Examples

1. 我们去商场买东西吧。 Let's go to the mall to buy things.
2. 这个商场很大。 This shopping mall is very big.
3. 商场里人很多。 There are many people in the mall.

Usage Guide

Context: shopping, location

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 周末我们去商场逛逛。(Let's go browse around the mall this weekend.)
• 商场几点关门？(What time does the mall close?)

Don't Say

• 我去商场买一杯咖啡。(While possible, for a single coffee say 我去咖啡店 — 商场 implies a bigger shopping trip)

Origin & History

A compound of 商 (commerce/business) and 场 (field/venue), meaning a venue for commerce.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal