Learn a Chinese Character - 商 (Shāng) - Commerce/Business

1. 基本特征 (Character Basics)

部首: 亠（点横头）/口（口字旁） (radical: dot-horizontal/mouth)

笔画数: 11 (11 strokes)

结构分解: 会意字，从亠（覆盖）、八（分）、口（言说），本义指交易时的商议，后引申为商业活动 (ideogram combining "亠" (cover), "八" (divide), and "口" (speech), originally meaning negotiation in trade, extended to commerce)

笔顺:

2. 发音 (Pronunciation)

拼音: Shāng (first tone)

3. 含义 (Meaning)

商指交易、买卖等商业活动（如"商业"），也可表示计算（如"商数"）或商量（如"协商"） (Commerce: trade/business activities (e.g., "commerce"); also means calculation (e.g., "quotient") or discussion (e.g., "negotiate"))

4. 常用词汇 (Common Words)

• 商人 (shāng rén) - merchant
• 商业 (shāng yè) - commerce
• 商量 (shāng liang) - discuss
• 商数 (shāng shù) - quotient

5. 语法与用法 (Grammar & Usage)

作名词时表商业活动（如"商业中心"）或计算结果（如"除法的商"）；作动词时表协商（如"商量计划"） (Noun: business activity (e.g., "commercial center") or calculation result (e.g., "quotient of division"); Verb: negotiate (e.g., "discuss a plan"))

6. 文化背景 (Cultural Background)

商朝是中国历史上第二个朝代（约前1600-前1046年），商人因擅长贸易被称为"商人"，"商"由此成为商业的代称，体现商业与历史的紧密联系 (The Shang Dynasty (c. 1600-1046 BCE) was the second dynasty in Chinese history. People from the Shang Dynasty were good at trade, hence "商人" (merchant), making "商" a term for commerce, reflecting the connection between business and history)

7. 例句 (Example Sentence)

8. 记忆技巧 (Memory Tips)

"商"的结构像一个人在开口（口）讨论交易（八表示分利），上方的"亠"像覆盖交易的规则，组合起来就是"商业"的意思 ("商" resembles a person discussing trade (mouth) with profit division ("八"), covered by rules ("亠"), combining to mean "commerce")