mǎi: 买 - Buy, Purchase

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• Summary: Learn the essential Chinese verb 买 (mǎi), meaning “to buy” or “to purchase.” This is one of the first and most important words for any beginner learning Mandarin. This guide covers its meaning, cultural significance in China's bustling consumer economy, and provides dozens of practical examples, from ordering at a market to online shopping and paying the bill. Master 买 (mǎi) to unlock daily conversations and navigate any shopping situation in China.

• Pinyin (with tone marks): mǎi
• Part of Speech: Verb
• HSK Level: HSK 1
• Concise Definition: To get something by paying money for it; to buy or purchase.
• In a Nutshell: 买 (mǎi) is the fundamental, all-purpose verb for the act of buying in Mandarin Chinese. If you are exchanging money for a good or service, 买 (mǎi) is the word you need. It's direct, common, and used in virtually every context, from buying an apple from a street vendor to purchasing a house. For a beginner, this is a top-10 most useful verb to learn.

The modern simplified character is 买. To understand its origin, we look at the traditional form: 買.

• 買 (Traditional): This character is a combination of two parts:
  • 网 (wǎng) on top: This radical means “net.”
  • 贝 (bèi) on the bottom: This character means “shell” or “cowrie shell.”
• In ancient China, cowrie shells were used as a form of currency. Therefore, the character 買 vividly paints a picture of using a net (网) to gather or acquire valuables/money (贝). This action of acquiring things with currency is the ancient root of the modern meaning, “to buy.” The simplified character 买 (mǎi) is a graphic simplification and is the standard in mainland China today.

The act of 买 (mǎi) is central to modern Chinese life, which is characterized by a vibrant and rapidly growing consumer culture. From traditional wet markets (`菜市场 càishìchǎng`) to hyper-modern shopping malls and the world's largest e-commerce ecosystem (led by giants like Taobao and JD.com), “buying” is a daily, ubiquitous activity. A key cultural practice often associated with 买 (mǎi), especially in markets or smaller shops, is bargaining (`砍价 kǎnjià`, literally “to chop the price”). While this is disappearing in larger, fixed-price stores, the friendly sport of haggling is still a part of the buying experience in many tourist areas and local markets. Compared to English, where we might say “I'll get it,” “I'll take it,” or “I'll grab it” to mean “buy,” Chinese is more direct. 买 (mǎi) almost always explicitly means a monetary transaction is happening. You wouldn't use 买 (mǎi) to “get” a free brochure. In recent years, the phrase 买买买 (mǎi mǎi mǎi) has become popular internet slang. It humorously and emphatically means “buy, buy, buy!” and is used to describe a shopping spree, the desire for retail therapy, or a general enthusiasm for consumerism.

买 (mǎi) is a versatile verb used in countless everyday situations.

• Daily Shopping: This is the most common usage. You use it for groceries, clothes, coffee, and anything else you purchase day-to-day. The structure is simple: `Subject + 买 + Object`.
• Buying Tickets and Services: It extends beyond physical goods to services. You can 买 (mǎi) a movie ticket (`买电影票 mǎi diànyǐngpiào`), a plane ticket (`买机票 mǎi jīpiào`), or even insurance (`买保险 mǎi bǎoxiǎn`).
• Online Shopping: In the age of e-commerce, 买 (mǎi) is constantly used. You can ask a friend, `你是在淘宝上买的吗？ (Nǐ shì zài Táobǎo shàng mǎi de ma?)` - “Did you buy this on Taobao?”
• Common Phrases: 买 (mǎi) forms part of other essential words. The most important is 买单 (mǎidān), which literally means “buy the bill” and is the common way to say “check, please” or “I'd like to pay.”

• Example 1:
  • 我想买一个苹果。
  • Pinyin: Wǒ xiǎng mǎi yí ge píngguǒ.
  • English: I want to buy an apple.
  • Analysis: A classic beginner's sentence. `想 (xiǎng)` means “want to,” followed by the verb `买` and the object. This is a polite and direct way to state your intention to buy something.
• Example 2:
  • 你要买什么？
  • Pinyin: Nǐ yào mǎi shénme?
  • English: What do you want to buy?
  • Analysis: This is the question a shopkeeper will most likely ask you. `要 (yào)` means “to want,” and `什么 (shénme)` means “what.”
• Example 3:
  • 这件衣服太贵了，我买不起。
  • Pinyin: Zhè jiàn yīfu tài guì le, wǒ mǎi bu qǐ.
  • English: This piece of clothing is too expensive, I can't afford to buy it.
  • Analysis: This introduces a crucial resultative complement. `买不起 (mǎi bu qǐ)` is a fixed phrase meaning “can't afford.” The opposite is `买得起 (mǎi de qǐ)`, “can afford.”
• Example 4:
  • 服务员，买单！
  • Pinyin: Fúwùyuán, mǎidān!
  • English: Waiter, the bill/check!
  • Analysis: `买单 (mǎidān)` is an essential phrase for dining out. It's the most common way to ask to pay.
• Example 5:
  • 我昨天在网上买了很多东西。
  • Pinyin: Wǒ zuótiān zài wǎngshàng mǎi le hěn duō dōngxi.
  • English: I bought a lot of things online yesterday.
  • Analysis: This shows `买` used for online shopping (`在网上 zài wǎngshàng`) and in the past tense, indicated by `了 (le)`.
• Example 6:
  • 他给我买了一份生日礼物。
  • Pinyin: Tā gěi wǒ mǎi le yí fèn shēngrì lǐwù.
  • English: He bought me a birthday present.
  • Analysis: The structure `给 (gěi) + person + 买` means “to buy for someone.” This is a very common and useful pattern.
• Example 7:
  • 这本书很难买到。
  • Pinyin: Zhè běn shū hěn nán mǎi dào.
  • English: This book is very hard to buy (to find and successfully purchase).
  • Analysis: `买到 (mǎi dào)` is another resultative complement meaning “to succeed in buying.” `到 (dào)` implies arrival or achievement. This sentence means the book is rare or sold out.
• Example 8:
  • 你帮我买一杯咖啡，好吗？
  • Pinyin: Nǐ bāng wǒ mǎi yì bēi kāfēi, hǎo ma?
  • English: Can you help me buy a cup of coffee?
  • Analysis: `帮 (bāng)` means “to help.” This structure, `帮 + person + 买`, is a polite way to ask someone to buy something for you.
• Example 9:
  • 这个周末我们去买菜吧。
  • Pinyin: Zhège zhōumò wǒmen qù mǎi cài ba.
  • English: Let's go grocery shopping this weekend.
  • Analysis: `买菜 (mǎi cài)` is a set phrase that means “to buy groceries” or “to go food shopping.” `菜 (cài)` can mean vegetables or dishes/cuisine in general.
• Example 10:
  • “双十一”的时候，大家都在疯狂买买买。
  • Pinyin: “Shuāng Shíyī” de shíhou, dàjiā dōu zài fēngkuáng mǎi mǎi mǎi.
  • English: During “Double Eleven” (Singles' Day), everyone is frantically buying, buying, buying.
  • Analysis: This demonstrates the modern slang usage. Repeating the verb three times adds strong emphasis and a sense of excitement or obsession, perfectly capturing the “retail therapy” vibe of a major shopping festival.

• The Ultimate Mistake: 买 (mǎi) vs. 卖 (mài)
  • This is the single most common and critical mistake for beginners. The only difference is the tone.
  • 买 (mǎi) - 3rd tone (falling-rising) - TO BUY
  • 卖 (mài) - 4th tone (falling) - TO SELL
  • The character for `卖 (mài)` has a “plus ten” radical (`十`) on top, which you can remember as representing “more” work or “more” things to sell.
  • Correct: 我买苹果。(Wǒ mǎi píngguǒ.) - I buy apples.
  • Incorrect: 我卖苹果。(Wǒ mài píngguǒ.) - I sell apples. (Unless you are a fruit vendor!) Mixing these up will completely reverse your meaning.
• False Friends: “Buy” vs. “Get/Take”
  • In English, you might say, “I'm going to get some milk.” In Chinese, if you are paying for it, you must use 买 (mǎi). If you are just physically taking something you already own (e.g., from the fridge), you would use `拿 (ná)`.
  • Correct: 我去超市买牛奶。(Wǒ qù chāoshì mǎi niúnǎi.) - I'm going to the supermarket to buy milk.
  • Incorrect: 我去超市拿牛奶。(Wǒ qù chāoshì ná niúnǎi.) - This implies you're just going to the supermarket to *take* milk (i.e., steal it or pick up a pre-paid order).

• 卖 (mài) - The direct antonym of `买`; it means “to sell.”
• 购物 (gòuwù) - A more formal, often written, synonym for “to shop” or “shopping.” `我去购物了 (Wǒ qù gòuwù le)` sounds slightly more formal than `我去买东西了 (Wǒ qù mǎi dōngxi le)`.
• 买单 (mǎidān) - A common phrase used in restaurants meaning “to pay the bill” or “check, please.”
• 买卖 (mǎimai) - A noun meaning “business” or “trade.” It literally combines “buy” and “sell.”
• 买不起 (mǎi bù qǐ) - A verb phrase (potential complement) meaning “cannot afford to buy.”
• 买得到 (mǎi de dào) - A verb phrase (potential complement) meaning “able to successfully buy” (implying availability).
• 砍价 (kǎnjià) - A related action: “to bargain” or “to haggle the price.”
• 收买 (shōumǎi) - A more specific term meaning “to buy over” or “to bribe.” It has a negative connotation.
• 采购 (cǎigòu) - A formal term for “to procure” or “to purchase,” often used in a business or corporate context.