出售

• Pinyin: chū shòu
• Hanzi breakdown: 出 = pictograph of a foot stepping out; 售 = 隹 (bird) + 口 (mouth), originally meaning to proclaim for sale

Meaning

To sell; to put up for sale. A somewhat formal word for selling goods, property, or services.

More formal than 卖, commonly seen in business, real estate, and official contexts. Frequently appears on signs, advertisements, and news reports. Often used with property (房子), tickets (门票), products (产品), etc. The phrase 出售中 means 'on sale / currently selling.'

Examples

1. 这家店正在出售各种打折商品。 This shop is currently selling various discounted goods.
2. 他们决定出售公司在上海的办公楼。 They decided to sell the company's office building in Shanghai.
3. 网上出售的商品越来越多了。 More and more products are being sold online.

Usage Guide

Context: business, commerce, real estate

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 这套房子已经出售了。(This apartment has already been sold.)
• 我们公司主要出售电子产品。(Our company mainly sells electronic products.)

Don't Say

• 在朋友间随意说'我出售给你' (Don't use 出售 for casual transactions between friends — use 卖给你 instead; 出售 sounds too formal)

Origin & History

出 (to put out, to send out) + 售 (to sell). The compound emphasises making goods available to buyers, with 出 conveying the outward movement of goods from seller to market.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal