经济/經濟 jīngjì — economy

Meanings

1. 1

   economy

   A country or a city as a whole — its factories, its markets, its money moving. It is the system, not a person’s wallet: a nation’s 经济 can grow while any one family in it stays poor.

   noun
2. 2

   economical, thrifty

   adjective

   Of a choice rather than a country, 经济 praises value for money — 坐火车比坐飞机经济, the train is more economical than the plane — a narrower use than 便宜, merely cheap.

Example sentences

• 这个国家的经济发展得很快。/這個國家的經濟發展得很快。Zhège (fourth tone, falling) guójiā (second tone, rising) de (neutral tone) jīngjì (first tone, high and level) fāzhǎn (first tone, high and level) de (neutral tone) hěn (third tone, dipping) kuài. (fourth tone, falling)···

  This country’s economy is developing very quickly.

• 坐火车去旅游比坐飞机更经济。/坐火車去旅游比坐飛機更經濟。Zuò (fourth tone, falling) huǒchē (third tone, dipping) qù (fourth tone, falling) lǚyóu (third tone, dipping) bǐ (third tone, dipping) zuò (fourth tone, falling) fēijī (first tone, high and level) gèng (fourth tone, falling) jīngjì. (first tone, high and level)···

  Travelling by train is more economical than by plane.

Common mistakes

• Not quite他家很经济。

  Correct他家很有钱。

  经济 names the system of production and trade for a country or region; it does not describe a person or a family as rich, which is simply 有钱.

Similar words