买
mǎi
to buy
to purchase
hook (乛) + head/money (头) = to buy
In older forms, 买 depicted a net (罒) over a shell (贝), shells being ancient Chinese currency — so the image of capturing currency in a net meant 'to buy.' The modern simplified form has drifted visually, but the economic core survives.
Words with 买
买办
mǎi bàn
comprador
邀买人心
yāo mǎi rén xīn
to buy popular support
郑人买履
zhèng rén mǎi lǚ
lit. the person from Zheng 鄭|郑[Zheng4] who wanted to buy shoes (an allusion to an ancient story about somebody who, when buying a pair of shoes, preferred to rely on their foot measurements rather than just trying them on) (idiom)
买方
mǎi fāng
buyer (in contracts)
贿买
huì mǎi
to bribe
零买
líng mǎi
to buy detail
购买力
gòu mǎi lì
purchasing power
一寸光阴一寸金，寸金难买寸光阴
yī cùn guāng yīn yī cùn jīn , cùn jīn nán mǎi cùn guāng yīn
lit. an interval of time is worth an ounce of gold, money cannot buy you time (saying)
一锤子买卖
yī chuí zi mǎi mài
a one-off, short-sighted deal
代拿买特
dài ná mǎi tè
(loanword) dynamite
倒买倒卖
dǎo mǎi dǎo mài
to buy and sell at a profit
做买卖
zuò mǎi mài
to buy and sell