薄利多销
bó lì duō xiāo
small profits, big sales; low margins and high volume
Character by character
薄bó
thin
thin
利lì
profit
profit
多duō
many
many
销xiāo
sell
sell
Example
这家超市坚持薄利多销，东西比别处便宜一点儿，顾客多了，赚得反而更多。
The supermarket sticks to low margins and high volume: its goods are a little cheaper than elsewhere, it gets more customers, and it actually makes more money.
Tone: neutral.
Usage and origin
A shopkeeper’s motto and a term of business writing. 薄 is read bó here, as in other written compounds (薄弱, 微薄), not báo as in 很薄.
Learn this in Lesson 184 · HSK 7–9: 义乌 (Yiwu, the world’s supermarket)
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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