工商

• Pinyin: gōng shāng
• Hanzi breakdown: 工 = pictograph of a tool/carpenter's square, meaning work/industry; 商 = originally depicted a container, meaning commerce

Meaning

Industry and commerce; business. Refers to manufacturing and trade sectors collectively.

Short for 工业 (industry) + 商业 (commerce). Common in official contexts: 工商局 (Bureau of Industry and Commerce, now merged into 市场监督管理局), 工商管理 (business administration), 工商界 (business community), 工商联 (Federation of Industry and Commerce). Also in education: MBA is called 工商管理硕士.

Examples

1. 他毕业后准备报考工商管理硕士。 After graduation, he plans to apply for an MBA program.
2. 工商部门对这家企业进行了突击检查。 The industry and commerce department conducted a surprise inspection of this company.
3. 改革开放以来，民营工商业发展迅速。 Since reform and opening up, private industry and commerce have developed rapidly.

Usage Guide

Context: business, government, education

Tone: official

Do Say

• 他在工商界很有名气。(He is well-known in business circles.)
• 需要到工商局办理手续。(We need to handle procedures at the Bureau of Industry and Commerce.)

Don't Say

• 在日常对话中用工商代替'做生意' (In casual speech, just say 做生意 or 经商 — 工商 is more formal/official)

Origin & History

Abbreviation of 工业 (industry) + 商业 (commerce). A compound representing the combined economic sectors of manufacturing and trade.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal