Chinese character · HSK 2
卖 (mài) — “to sell”
The character is composed of 十 on top of 买 (mǎi, to buy). To sell something, you must first have bought it. The 十 can be seen as a signpost advertising the goods.
How to remember 卖
To SELL, you put up a sign (十) over the goods you bought (买) at your market stall.
Inside the character
- 十 (ten) — meaning component. A simple cross — used for counting, completeness, or as a structural anchor.
- 买 (to buy) — meaning component.
Where 卖 comes from
Simplified from 賣. The traditional form combines 買 (to buy) with 出 (to go out, later corrupted to 士/十 at the top), symbolizing goods 'going out' to a buyer.
Words that use 卖
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 买卖 | mǎi mài | buying and selling / business | HSK 5 |
| 出卖 | chū mài | to offer for sale / to sell | HSK 7 |
| 外卖 | wài mài | (of a restaurant) to provide a takeout or home delivery meal / takeout (business) | HSK 2 |
Learn 卖 the visual way. InkSeal pairs every HSK 1–6 character
with an illustration like this one, plus component breakdowns, etymology, and
spaced review. The first 100 characters are free.
More characters: 史 (shǐ, history / annals) · 壮 (zhuàng, strong / robust) · 壶 (hú, pot / kettle) — or browse the full character library.