销

• Pinyin: xiāo
• Hanzi breakdown: 钅= metal radical; 肖 = 小 + 月 (reducing, diminishing — metal melted down)

Meaning

To sell; to market; to melt away or cancel. Used as a verb base relating to sales and elimination.

The core character in commerce-related compounds such as 销售 (sales), 销量 (sales volume), 销毁 (destroy), and 撤销 (rescind). In classical usage it also means to melt metal or dissolve. Context determines which meaning applies.

Examples

1. 该品牌的新款手机一经上市便迅速热销，创下单日销售记录。 As soon as the brand’s new phone hit the market, it became a smash hit and set a single-day sales record.
2. 公司决定撤销此前发布的错误公告，并向公众致歉。 The company decided to retract the erroneous notice it had previously issued and apologized to the public.
3. 这款产品在全国各大零售渠道广泛铺货，销路相当畅通。 This product is widely stocked across retail channels nationwide, and sales are moving very smoothly.

Usage Guide

Context: commerce, business, law

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 该系列产品在海外市场的销售表现远超预期，公司决定扩大出口规模。(The overseas sales performance of this product series far exceeded expectations, prompting the company to expand exports.)
• 此合同条款已正式撤销，双方须重新签订补充协议。(This contract clause has been formally rescinded — both parties must sign a supplementary agreement.)

Don't Say

• 销他 — 销 must combine with a complement or noun object; use 销毁文件 or 销售产品, not 销 alone with a person

Origin & History

钅(metal) + 肖 (diminish/resemble) — originally to melt metal; extended to selling/dispersing goods

Cultural Context

Era: Classical–Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal