市场 (shìchǎng)

市场 refers to a market in both the physical sense (a marketplace) and the economic sense (a market for goods, services, or ideas).

Meanings

[noun] a market; a marketplace (physical or economic)
[noun] the market (economic context, such as demand and supply)

Example Sentences

这家公司正在开拓海外市场。 Zhè jiā gōngsī zhèngzài kāituò hǎiwài shìchǎng. This company is expanding into overseas markets.

市场竞争越来越激烈。 Shìchǎng jìngzhēng yuèlái yuè jīliè. Market competition is becoming increasingly fierce.

这种产品在年轻人中很有市场。 Zhè zhǒng chǎnpǐn zài niánqīngrén zhōng hěn yǒu shìchǎng. This type of product has a strong market among young people.

他每天早上去菜市场买新鲜蔬菜。 Tā měitiān zǎoshang qù cài shìchǎng mǎi xīnxiān shūcài. He goes to the vegetable market every morning to buy fresh vegetables.

Collocations

Collocation	Meaning
市场竞争	market competition
市场需求	market demand
开拓市场	to expand/open up a market
股票市场	stock market

Usage Notes

市场 is widely used in both everyday and business Chinese. In everyday speech it can mean a physical market (like a food market), while in business and economics it refers to the broader market system. The phrase 有市场 (to have a market) means something is in demand or popular.

Memory Hook

市 means "city/trade" and 场 means "place/field." A 市场 is a "city trade place," which is exactly what a market is: a place where city trading happens.