wàimào: 外贸 - Foreign Trade, International Trade

• Keywords: waimao, 外贸, foreign trade in China, international trade, Chinese business vocabulary, China import export, learn Chinese business terms, doing business in China, China's economy
• Summary: Learn the essential Chinese business term 外贸 (wàimào), meaning “foreign trade.” This page provides a deep dive into its meaning, cultural significance in China's modern economy, and practical usage. Discover how 外贸 (wàimào) is more than just a word—it's a concept central to China's “Reform and Opening Up” and a key vocabulary item for anyone interested in Chinese business, economics, or import/export industries.

• Pinyin (with tone marks): wàimào
• Part of Speech: Noun
• HSK Level: HSK 5
• Concise Definition: Foreign trade; the business of importing and exporting goods and services.
• In a Nutshell: 外贸 (wàimào) is the common, everyday word for all activities related to international trade. If a company buys products from Germany and sells them in China, or manufactures goods in China to sell in the USA, they are “doing 外贸” (做外贸). It's a practical, hands-on term that you'll hear constantly in business conversations, news reports, and even casual chats about jobs.

• 外 (wài): This character means “outside,” “external,” or “foreign.” You see it in words like 外国人 (wàiguórén - foreigner) and 外面 (wàimiàn - outside). It points to anything beyond a certain boundary, in this case, China's national borders.
• 贸 (mào): This character means “trade” or “commerce.” It's almost exclusively used in words related to business and economics, like 贸易 (màoyì - trade).
• The two characters combine literally and logically to mean “outside trade,” which is a perfect and concise description of foreign trade.

The term 外贸 (wàimào) carries immense cultural and historical weight in modern China. Its rise is directly linked to the “Reform and Opening Up” (改革开放 - gǎigé kāifàng) policy that began in the late 1970s. This policy transformed China from a centrally-planned, largely agrarian society into a global economic powerhouse. For millions of Chinese people, especially in coastal cities like Shenzhen, Guangzhou, and Shanghai, 外贸 was the engine of this change. It represented opportunity, wealth, and a connection to the outside world that had been previously inaccessible. The “外贸 industry” created countless jobs, from factory workers to export managers, and fundamentally changed the urban landscape and social fabric. In the West, “foreign trade” is a standard economic term. In China, 外贸 evokes a specific era of explosive growth and national transformation. While “international trade” is a direct translation, it lacks the cultural resonance of 外贸, which for many is synonymous with China's modern success story and its integration into the global community. Describing a company or a person as being “in 外贸” is a common and respected marker of being involved in the modern, globalized sector of the economy.

外贸 is a high-frequency word used in various contexts, from formal business to everyday conversation.

• Business and Professions: It's extremely common in company names (e.g., 义乌市百特外贸有限公司 - Yiwu City Baite Foreign Trade Co., Ltd.) and job titles. A very common job is 外贸业务员 (wàimào yèwùyuán), a foreign trade salesperson or account manager.
• Economic News: News reports constantly refer to 外贸 data (外贸数据 - wàimào shùjù) like import/export volumes as a key indicator of the country's economic health.
• Casual Conversation: It's very natural to describe someone's profession by saying, “他是做外贸的” (Tā shì zuò wàimào de) - “He's in the foreign trade business.” This is a common and easily understood description of what someone does for a living.
• Formality: 外贸 is the neutral, default term. Its more formal and academic counterpart is 国际贸易 (guójì màoyì), which is used more in university course names, textbooks, and high-level government policy documents. For day-to-day business, 外贸 is the word you'll always hear.

• Example 1:
• 我们公司主要做外贸生意。
• Pinyin: Wǒmen gōngsī zhǔyào zuò wàimào shēngyi.
• English: Our company mainly does foreign trade business.
• Analysis: A very standard and common sentence to describe a company's focus. “做…生意” (zuò…shēngyi) means “to do…business.”
• Example 2:
• 她大学毕业后就进入了外贸行业。
• Pinyin: Tā dàxué bìyè hòu jiù jìnrù le wàimào hángyè.
• English: She entered the foreign trade industry right after graduating from university.
• Analysis: Here, 外贸 acts as an adjective modifying 行业 (hángyè - industry). This is a common pattern.
• Example 3:
• 今年的外贸形势不太乐观。
• Pinyin: Jīnnián de wàimào xíngshì bú tài lèguān.
• English: This year's foreign trade situation is not very optimistic.
• Analysis: This sentence demonstrates how 外贸 is used in economic discussions. 形势 (xíngshì) means “situation” or “state of affairs.”
• Example 4:
• 你对外贸流程熟悉吗？
• Pinyin: Nǐ duì wàimào liúchéng shúxī ma?
• English: Are you familiar with the foreign trade process?
• Analysis: This is a typical question you might hear in a job interview for a trade-related position. 流程 (liúchéng) means “process” or “workflow.”
• Example 5:
• 这家工厂的产品主要用于外贸出口。
• Pinyin: Zhè jiā gōngchǎng de chǎnpǐn zhǔyào yòngyú wàimào chūkǒu.
• English: This factory's products are mainly for foreign trade export.
• Analysis: This sentence shows the relationship between 外贸 (the general field) and 出口 (chūkǒu - the specific act of exporting).
• Example 6:
• 我朋友是做外贸的，经常需要跟外国人打交道。
• Pinyin: Wǒ péngyou shì zuò wàimào de, jīngcháng xūyào gēn wàiguórén dǎjiāodào.
• English: My friend is in foreign trade and often needs to deal with foreigners.
• Analysis: “是做…的” (shì zuò…de) is a very common structure for describing someone's profession. 打交道 (dǎjiāodào) means “to deal with” or “to interact with.”
• Example 7:
• 政府出台了新政策来支持外贸企业。
• Pinyin: Zhèngfǔ chūtái le xīn zhèngcè lái zhīchí wàimào qǐyè.
• English: The government has introduced new policies to support foreign trade enterprises.
• Analysis: This highlights the term's use in the context of government policy. 企业 (qǐyè) means “enterprise” or “company.”
• Example 8:
• 成为一名优秀的外贸业务员需要很好的沟通能力。
• Pinyin: Chéngwéi yī míng yōuxiù de wàimào yèwùyuán xūyào hěn hǎo de gōutōng nénglì.
• English: Becoming an excellent foreign trade salesperson requires very good communication skills.
• Analysis: This sentence uses 外贸 to modify a job title, 业务员 (yèwùyuán - salesperson/clerk).
• Example 9:
• 全球供应链问题严重影响了我们的外贸业务。
• Pinyin: Quánqiú gōngyìngliàn wèntí yánzhòng yǐngxiǎng le wǒmen de wàimào yèwù.
• English: Global supply chain problems have seriously affected our foreign trade business.
• Analysis: A contemporary example showing how 外贸 is used to discuss current global economic issues. 业务 (yèwù) refers to “business” or “operations.”
• Example 10:
• 很多沿海城市依靠外贸发展起来。
• Pinyin: Hěn duō yánhǎi chéngshì yīkào wàimào fāzhǎn qǐlái.
• English: Many coastal cities developed by relying on foreign trade.
• Analysis: This sentence captures the historical and economic significance of 外贸 in China's development. 依靠 (yīkào) means “to rely on.”

• 外贸 (wàimào) vs. 国际贸易 (guójì màoyì): This is the most important distinction.
  • 外贸 (wàimào): The common, practical, everyday term. Use it when talking about the business, the industry, a job, or a specific company's operations. It's the word on the street.
  • 国际贸易 (guójì màoyì): The formal, academic term for “international trade.” Use it for university majors (e.g., “I'm studying International Trade”), academic papers, or high-level government policy discussions.
  • Mistake: Using 国际贸易 in a casual conversation like “My friend is in 国际贸易” sounds overly formal and unnatural. The correct way is “我朋友是做外贸的.”
• Avoid Literal Translations: A common mistake for beginners is to construct the phrase from scratch.
  • Incorrect: `外国的贸易 (wàiguó de màoyì)` or `贸易跟外国 (màoyì gēn wàiguó)`.
  • Reason: While grammatically understandable, these are not how native speakers talk. Chinese often uses concise, two-character compound words for complex concepts. 外贸 is the fixed, correct term.

• 国际贸易 (guójì màoyì) - The formal, academic equivalent of 外贸, meaning “international trade.”
• 内贸 (nèimào) - Domestic trade; the logical antonym to 外贸.
• 进口 (jìnkǒu) - To import; literally “enter port/mouth.” A key activity within 外贸.
• 出口 (chūkǒu) - To export; literally “exit port/mouth.” The other key activity within 外贸.
• 海关 (hǎiguān) - Customs (the government agency). Essential for all 外贸 activities.
• 关税 (guānshuì) - Tariff / customs duty. A tax on imported goods.
• 贸易 (màoyì) - Trade. The base word from which 外贸 is derived.
• 商务 (shāngwù) - Commerce; business affairs. A broader term that includes trade, but also other business activities.
• 贸易顺差 (màoyì shùnchā) - Trade surplus (when exports exceed imports).
• 贸易逆差 (màoyì nìchā) - Trade deficit (when imports exceed exports).