mài

Origin & Mnemonic:

To let goods leave one's possession in exchange for money. To sell, betray, show off, or trade away effort and loyalty. Ten (十) stacked on “buy” (买): things bought are now put out for sale.

卖 (mài) has a 十 (price tag) on top because you put a price tag on goods to sell them.

Think of it as a memory trick, not a history lesson: the top 十 is a price tag stuck on the goods. The base shape 买 is basically 'take in'. So the character with the tag on top is the one you sell — 卖. The one without a tag is the one you take home — 买. 卖 gives away, 买 takes home. Spot the little 十 and you know goods are leaving with money.

price tag stuck on top of the goods the base shape, 'take in' — no price tag on this one

Common Usage & Traps

  • 卖东西 (mài dōngxi) — sell things
  • 卖水果 (mài shuǐguǒ) — sell fruit
  • 卖书 (mài shū) — sell books
  • 卖多少钱 (mài duōshao qián) — how much does it sell for
  • 卖完了 (mài wán le) — sold out
  • 我要卖一本书 (meaning: I want to buy a book) 我要买一本书

    If your money is going out and a book is coming home, it's 买. 卖 means the goods leave your hands and money comes in.

  • 他买水果 (meaning: he sells fruit) 他卖水果

    The mix-up runs both ways. That fruit is going out to customers, so it has to be the price-tag one: 卖.

买 vs 卖: How do I remember which one is buy and which one is sell?

卖 has a 十 price tag on top: that's sell. 买 has no tag: that's buy.

Picture a shop owner slapping a price tag on a pile of goods. That tag is the 十 sitting on top of 卖 (mài). 买 (mǎi) has no tag because you're just taking stuff in. In speech the only difference is the tone: 买 is third tone (mǎi), 卖 is fourth tone (mài). Third tone dips down and comes back up — you're pulling the goods toward you. Fourth tone drops hard and stops — the goods are gone.

DimensionNaturalAvoid
Meaning卖 = sell (goods leave)买 = buy (goods come in)
Shape卖 has 十 (price tag) on top买 has no tag
Tone卖 = 4th tone, sharp drop买 = 3rd tone, dips and rises
In a sentence他卖水果 (he sells fruit)他买水果 (he buys fruit)

In a shop, do I ask 这个多少钱 or 这个卖多少钱?

Both work. Plain 这个多少钱? is what you'll actually hear every day.

多少钱 on its own is the default price question — short, sharp, used everywhere. Adding 卖 makes the selling side explicit: what does this one go for? That version is fine too, just slightly more wordy. Don't point 卖 at the owner: 你卖多少钱 sounds like you're asking what price the owner sells for. When something isn't on offer, the shop says 这个不卖, not 不买.

DimensionNaturalAvoid
Default price question这个多少钱?这个卖多少? (clunky)
Emphasizing the sale这个卖多少钱?你卖多少钱? (sounds like the owner is for sale)
Not for sale这个不卖这个不买 (means 'I'm not buying')

How do I say 'sold out' when the bakery runs out of bread?

卖完了 is the standard 'sold out'. Learn it as one chunk and move on.

卖完了 (mài wán le) is what you'll hear when the shelves are empty. 完 adds the idea of 'finished', so 卖完 means sold out, and the 了 simply marks that it already happened. For 'not sold out yet', say 还没卖完. If you want to ask whether more is coming, just say 还有吗? — you don't need 卖 in that question at all.

DimensionNaturalAvoid
Sold out卖完了卖没有 (nobody says this)
Not sold out yet还没卖完不卖完 (wrong)
Asking if more is left还有吗?卖有吗?

Appears in Stories 3 stories

《五块钱》 The Five-Yuan Gift
HSK 1 ~6 min read 414 chars
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This heartwarming story shows how a small act of kindness can be passed on. Follow Gao Xianming as he learns an important lesson about generosity in his new city.

  • 前边有一个 卖水果的 老先生

《一两件新衣服》 New Clothes and Good Friends
HSK 1 ~2 min read 84 chars
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This playful poem helps you count and practice vocabulary about clothes, students, and pets. Enjoy the rhythm while learning new words.

  • 小狗四百零九

《时间和时候(1)卖车看电影》 Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow
HSK 1 ~2 min read 146 chars
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Follow a day from waking at six-thirty to coming home at eight, then leap across days, months, and years. This simple story helps you practice speaking about routines and life changes with clear time words.

  • 昨天

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