协商 (xiéshāng) — to negotiate, to consult

协商 (xiéshāng)

协商 refers to the process of discussing matters together to reach a mutually acceptable agreement or decision, emphasizing cooperation and consensus-building.

Meanings

1. [verb] to negotiate, to consult, to discuss toward agreement
2. [noun] negotiation, consultation, deliberation

Example Sentences

双方经过多轮协商，终于就合同条款达成了一致。 Shuāngfāng jīngguò duō lún xiéshāng, zhōngyú jiù hétong tiáokuǎn dáchéng le yīzhì. After multiple rounds of negotiation, the two parties finally reached agreement on the contract terms.

劳资双方将通过协商解决薪酬调整的争议。 Láozī shuāngfāng jiāng tōngguò xiéshāng jiějué xīnchóu tiáozhěng de zhēngyì. Both labor and management will resolve the dispute over salary adjustments through negotiation.

这一重大决策需要与所有相关方进行充分协商后才能实施。 Zhè yī zhòngdà juécè xūyào yǔ suǒyǒu xiāngguān fāng jìnxíng chōngfèn xiéshāng hòu cái néng shíshī. This major decision needs to be fully consulted with all relevant parties before implementation.

协商民主是中国政治体制的重要特色之一。 Xiéshāng mínzhǔ shì Zhōngguó zhèngzhì tǐzhì de zhòngyào tèsè zhī yī. Consultative democracy is one of the important characteristics of China's political system.

在离婚过程中，双方就财产分割问题进行了长达数月的协商。 Zài líhūn guòchéng zhōng, shuāngfāng jiù cáichǎn fēngē wèntí jìnxíng le cháng dá shù yuè de xiéshāng. During the divorce proceedings, both parties negotiated for months on the issue of property division.

公司希望通过友好协商而非诉诸法律来解决此次纠纷。 Gōngsī xīwàng tōngguò yǒuhǎo xiéshāng ér fēi sùzhū fǎlǜ lái jiějué cǐ cì jiūfēn. The company hopes to resolve this dispute through friendly negotiation rather than resorting to law.

Collocations

Usage Notes

协商 emphasizes mutual consultation and the cooperative spirit of reaching agreement, making it more collaborative in tone than 谈判 (tánpàn, negotiation), which can imply adversarial bargaining. 协商 is the preferred term in Chinese political discourse for consultative processes involving multiple stakeholders.

In Chinese politics, 协商民主 (consultative democracy) is a distinct concept describing the CPPCC-style process of multi-party consultation. This makes 协商 particularly important for understanding Chinese political vocabulary.

Memory Hook

协 means "to cooperate" and 商 means "to discuss/commerce" -- 协商 is cooperative discussion, sitting down together with the goal of finding common ground rather than winning a battle.