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物美价廉

*The explanations on this page are generated by AI. Please note that they may contain inaccurate information.

1. Basic Information

  • Pinyin: wù měi jià lián
  • English Translation: High quality at a low price (Good value for money)
  • Idiom Composition: Goods, products, or things.Excellent or high quality (literally 'beautiful').Price or cost.Inexpensive, cheap, or low-priced.
  • Meaning: A phrase used to describe goods that are of excellent quality while remaining inexpensive or reasonably priced.

2. Detailed Meaning and Nuances

物美价廉 contains the following nuances:

  • The Ideal Consumer Choice: This idiom highlights the two most desirable traits for any buyer: high quality and a low price point, emphasizing that the consumer is getting a great deal.
  • Everyday Praise: It is not reserved for luxury items; it is most commonly used for everyday goods like food, clothing, and household items to describe them as 'a steal' or 'a bargain.'

3. Usage

物美价廉 is mainly used in the following contexts:

  • Shopping and Recommendations: Used as a standard phrase when recommending a store or product to others, or expressing satisfaction with a purchase.
    • Example:这家超市的蔬菜不仅新鲜,而且物美价廉
      The vegetables at this supermarket are not only fresh but also high quality and inexpensive.)
  • Business and Marketing: Used in corporate slogans or sales strategies to emphasize a product's competitiveness in the market.
    • Example:我们公司的宗旨是为客户提供物美价廉的产品。
      Our company's mission is to provide customers with products that are excellent in quality and reasonably priced.)

Additional Examples:

  1. 大家都喜欢去那个夜市,因为那里的小吃物美价廉
    Everyone loves going to that night market because the snacks there are good and cheap.
  2. 想在市中心找到物美价廉的房子可不容易。
    It is not easy to find an apartment in the city center that is both high quality and affordable.
  3. 网购虽然方便,但也要仔细挑选才能买到物美价廉的东西。
    Although online shopping is convenient, you still need to choose carefully to find great value for your money.

4. Cultural Background and Notes

  • The term appears in the writings of the Qing Dynasty (清朝) thinker Zheng Guanying (郑观应) in his work 'Words of Warning in a Prosperous Age' (盛世危言). He was a proponent of modernization and argued that if domestic Chinese goods were 物美价廉 (wù měi jià lián), they could successfully compete with foreign imports.
  • The word order can be swapped to 价廉物美 (jià lián wù měi) without any change in meaning. Speakers often choose between the two based on the rhythm or flow of the sentence.
  • In modern Chinese, the term 性价比高 (xìng jià bǐ gāo), meaning 'high cost-performance ratio' or 'good bang for the buck,' is also very popular. However, 物美价廉 (wù měi jià lián) remains the more traditional and idiomatic way to praise the balance of quality and price.

5. Similar and Opposite Idioms

  • Similar Idioms:
    • 物超所值 (wù chāo suǒ zhí): The value of the item exceeds the price paid; worth more than it costs.
    • 价廉物美 (jià lián wù měi): A direct synonym of 物美价廉 (wù měi jià lián) with the characters for 'price' and 'goods' reversed.
  • Opposite Idioms:

6. Summary

物美价廉 (wù měi jià lián) is a frequently used idiom in both daily life and business contexts to describe products that offer great value. It literally means 'the goods are beautiful and the price is low,' making it the go-to expression for a 'good bargain' or 'high quality for a low price.' It can also be expressed as 价廉物美 (jià lián wù měi).

Idiom Essay

wù měi jià lián
物美价廉
High Quality at a Low Price
wǒ men我们zàimǎi dōng xī买东西deshí hòu时候xīn lǐ心里tōng cháng通常dōuzàizuòyí gè一个hěnnándepíng héng平衡

When we buy things, we are usually trying to strike a difficult balance in our minds.

yì fāng miàn一方面wǒ men我们xī wàng希望dōng xī东西dezhì liàng质量yàohǎolìng yì fāng miàn另一方面wǒ men我们yòuxī wàng希望jià gé价格bú yào不要tàigāo

On one hand, we want the quality to be good; on the other hand, we want the price not to be too high.

dànzàixiàn shí现实shēng huó生活zhōngzhèliǎng diǎn两点wǎng wǎng往往hěnnántóng shí同时mǎn zú满足

But in real life, these two points are often difficult to satisfy at the same time.

zhōng wén中文yǒuyí gè一个chéng yǔ成语zhuān mén专门yòng lái用来miáo shù描述zhè zhǒng这种zuìlǐ xiǎng理想dezhuàng tài状态jiàowù měi jià lián物美价廉

In Chinese, there is an idiom specifically used to describe this ideal state, called 物美价廉.

zhè ge这个fēi cháng非常zhí bái直白shèn zhì甚至xū yào需要cházì diǎn字典jiùnéngmíng bái明白

This term is very straightforward; you can understand it without even looking in a dictionary.

wù měi物美zhǐdeshìwù pǐn物品dezhì liàng质量hěnhǎoràngrénmǎn yì满意jià lián价廉yì si意思shìjià gé价格dī lián低廉dà jiā大家dōumǎi

物美 refers to the quality of the item being very good and satisfying; 价廉 means the price is low and affordable for everyone.

hé qǐ lái合起来jiù shì shuō就是说yī yàng一样dōng xī东西hǎo yòng好用yòupián yi便宜

Put together, it means something is both useful and cheap.

suī rán虽然yì si意思jiǎn dān简单dànzhè ge这个zàishēng huó生活zhōngdefèn liàng分量hěnzhòng

Although the meaning is simple, this term carries a lot of weight in daily life.

wèi shén me为什么ne

Why?

yīn wèi因为wǒ men我们chángshuōyī fēn qián yī fēn huò一分钱一分货guìdetōng cháng通常cáihǎo

Because we often say "you get what you pay for," and usually only expensive things are good.

suǒ yǐ所以dāngzhēn de真的yù dào遇到wù měi jià lián物美价廉deqíng kuàng情况shíbù jǐn jǐn不仅仅shìyī cì一次jiāo yì交易gèngxiàngshìyī zhǒng一种jīng xǐ惊喜

So, when you truly encounter a situation that is 物美价廉, it is not just a transaction, but more like a pleasant surprise.

xiǎng xiàng想象yī xià一下zàijiē jiǎo街角fā xiàn发现leyī jiā一家bù qǐ yǎn不起眼dexiǎocān guǎn餐馆

Imagine you find an inconspicuous little restaurant on a street corner.

zhuāng xiū装修hěnjiǎn dān简单cài dān菜单shàngdejià gé价格hěnpián yi便宜

The decor is simple, and the prices on the menu are very cheap.

běn lái本来méibàotàixī wàng希望jié guǒ结果duānshàng lái上来decàiwèi dào味道jí hǎo极好shí cái食材hěnxīn xiān新鲜

You didn't have high hopes, but the food served tastes excellent and the ingredients are very fresh.

jié zhàng结账deshí hòu时候fā xiàn发现huādeqiáncān tīng餐厅shǎoleyí bàn一半

When you pay the bill, you find you spent half as much as you would at a large restaurant.

zhè shí hòu这时候xīn lǐ心里nà zhǒng那种zhuàn dào赚到ledekuài lè快乐jiù shì就是wù měi jià lián物美价廉dài gěi带给degǎn jué感觉

At that moment, the "I got a bargain" happiness in your heart is the feeling that 物美价廉 brings to you.

zhí de值得zhù yì注意deshìzàizhè ge这个chéng yǔ成语wù měi物美shìfàngzàijià lián价廉qián miàn前面de

It is worth noting that in this idiom, 物美 is placed before 价廉.

zhèqí shí其实àn shì暗示leyí gè一个hěnzhòng yào重要deluó jí逻辑zhì liàng质量hǎoshìqián tí前提

This actually implies an important logic: good quality is the prerequisite.

rú guǒ如果yī yàng一样dōng xī东西jǐn jǐn仅仅shìpián yi便宜dànbù hǎo yòng不好用huò zhě或者hěnróng yì容易huàiwǒ men我们zhǐhuìshuōpián yi便宜jué bù绝不huìshuōwù měi jià lián物美价廉

If something is just cheap but not useful or breaks easily, we would only say it is "cheap," never 物美价廉.

suǒ yǐ所以dāngwǒ men我们kuāyī jiā一家diànhuò zhě或者yī jiàn一件shāng pǐn商品wù měi jià lián物美价廉shízhèqí shí其实shìyí gè一个hěngāodepíng jià评价

Therefore, when we praise a shop or a product as 物美价廉, it is actually a very high compliment.

yì wèi zhe意味着shāng jiā商家bù jǐn不仅shí zài实在ér qiě而且yòng xīn用心

It means the merchant is not only honest but also puts in great effort.

zàizhè ge这个shén me什么dōubiàn dé变得yuè lái yuè越来越guìdeshí dài时代néngyù dào遇到wù měi jià lián物美价廉deshì wù事物qí shí其实shìwǒ men我们shēng huó生活deyī zhǒng一种xiǎoxìng yùn幸运

In this era where everything is becoming more and more expensive, encountering things that are 物美价廉 is actually a small stroke of luck in our lives.

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