外贸

• Pinyin: wài mào
• Hanzi breakdown: 外 = 夕 + 卜; 贸 = 卯 (phonetic, a cyclical sign) + 贝 (cowrie shell, representing currency/trade)

Meaning

Foreign trade; international commerce. The import and export of goods and services between countries.

A contraction of 对外贸易 (duì wài màoyì). Pervasive in Chinese economic and business discourse. Collocations include: 外贸顺差/逆差 (trade surplus/deficit), 外贸依存度 (trade dependence ratio), 做外贸 (to work in or run a foreign trade business). Many small manufacturers in coastal China identify themselves as 外贸工厂 (export factories).

Examples

1. 近年来跨境电商的兴起极大地降低了中小企业参与外贸的门槛。 The rise of cross-border e-commerce in recent years has significantly lowered the barrier for small and medium enterprises to participate in foreign trade.
2. 这家公司以外贸起家，如今已在十几个国家设立了分支机构。 This company started out in foreign trade and has since established branches in more than a dozen countries.
3. 受国际形势影响，今年第一季度外贸数据略有下滑，但整体仍保持一定韧性。 Affected by the international situation, foreign trade figures dipped slightly in the first quarter of this year, but overall resilience remains.

Usage Guide

Context: business, economics, news

Tone: matter-of-fact

Do Say

• 他在外贸公司工作了十年，英语和西班牙语都说得很流利。(He has worked at a foreign trade company for ten years and speaks both English and Spanish fluently.)
• 外贸数据的波动往往能反映全球经济的整体走势。(Fluctuations in foreign trade data often reflect the overall trajectory of the global economy.)

Don't Say

• 把外贸和外汇混用 (外贸 = foreign trade in goods and services; 外汇 = foreign exchange and currency — distinct concepts, though closely related in macroeconomics)

Origin & History

Abbreviation of 对外贸易 (duì wài màoyì, 'foreign-directed trade'). 贸 historically referred to the exchange of goods; combined with 外, it specifies cross-border commercial exchange.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal