推销

• Pinyin: tuī xiāo
• Hanzi breakdown: 推 = 扌(hand) + 隹 (phonetic); 销 = 钅(metal) + 肖 (resemble, phonetic)

Meaning

To promote (sales); to market; to actively sell a product or service.

Refers to proactively marketing or selling something, often involving persuasion. Implies active outreach rather than passive selling. 推销员 (tuīxiāoyuán) means salesperson. Can carry a slightly negative connotation of being too pushy. Common in commerce and consumer discussions.

Examples

1. 他每天在商场门口推销各种健康保险产品。 He stands outside the shopping centre every day promoting various health insurance products.
2. 公司派了一批员工到各城市推销新款智能家电。 The company sent a group of employees to cities around the country to market their new smart home appliances.
3. 我不太喜欢接到陌生推销电话，觉得很打扰生活。 I don't really like receiving cold sales calls — I find them quite disruptive.

Usage Guide

Context: business, commerce

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 他很擅长推销自己的产品。(He is very good at promoting his products.)
• 公司开展了新一轮推销活动。(The company launched a new round of promotional activities.)

Don't Say

• 推销 ≠ 销售 — 推销 emphasises the active, persuasive promotion of a product; 销售 is a broader term for sales activity in general, without the pushy connotation.

Origin & History

Compound of 推 (to push) and 销 (to sell/market, from 钅 metal + 肖 phonetic). Together: to push a product into the market — actively selling.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal