本小利微
běn xiǎo lì wēi
small capital and thin margins
Character by character
本běn
capital
capital
小xiǎo
small
small
利lì
profit
profit
微wēi
slight
slight
Example
街边的小吃店本小利微，房租一涨就撑不下去了。
Street snack shops have little capital and thin margins; one rent rise and they go under.
Tone: neutral.
Usage and origin
Said of stalls, corner shops and family businesses, often by the owners themselves to explain why they cannot cut the price or take a loss. Close to 小本生意 and 小本经营.
Learn this in Lesson 135 · HSK 7–9: 菜市场里 (At the wet market)
A dialogue, a reading, word cards with audio and a drill that uses it, in Learn Chinese with Bao. The first lessons of every level are free.
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