====== jìnchūkǒu: 进出口 - Import and Export, Trade ======
===== Quick Summary =====
  * **Keywords:** jinchukou, 进出口, import and export China, Chinese for trade, China trade, 进出口公司, jinchukou gongsi, learn Chinese business terms, HSK 4 vocabulary.
  * **Summary:** Learn about the essential Chinese business term for "import and export," **进出口 (jìnchūkǒu)**. This crucial vocabulary is the key to understanding China's massive role in global trade and its modern economy. This guide provides a deep dive into **进出口**, breaking down its literal character meanings, its cultural significance in post-reform China, and its practical use in business contexts, such as in an "import-export company" (进出口公司, jìnchūkǒu gōngsī).
===== Core Meaning =====
  * **Pinyin (with tone marks):** jìn chū kǒu
  * **Part of Speech:** Noun
  * **HSK Level:** HSK 4
  * **Concise Definition:** The business or process of importing and exporting goods.
  * **In a Nutshell:** **进出口 (jìnchūkǒu)** is a wonderfully literal term. It combines the characters for "enter," "exit," and "port/opening." Think of it as the physical gateway through which goods flow in and out of a country. While in English "trade" can feel abstract, **进出口** evokes the concrete reality of ships, containers, and customs checkpoints that form the backbone of the global supply chain.
===== Character Breakdown =====
  * **进 (jìn):** To enter, to advance. This character shows a person walking (the `辶` radical) towards a `井` (jǐng), which originally represented a well. It signifies moving forward or entering.
  * **出 (chū):** To exit, to go out. This character is a pictograph of a plant sprouting from the ground (`凵`), vividly illustrating the idea of emerging or coming out.
  * **口 (kǒu):** Mouth, opening, port. Originally a pictograph of a mouth, in this context, it refers to an opening or a port—a gateway to the country.
Together, **进 (enter) - 出 (exit) - 口 (port)** literally means "enter-exit port," perfectly describing the activity of goods moving through a nation's borders.
===== Cultural Context and Significance =====
The term **进出口 (jìnchūkǒu)** is inseparable from the story of modern China. Following the "Reform and Opening Up" (改革开放, gǎigé kāifàng) policy initiated in the late 1970s, China transformed its economy by embracing global trade. **进出口** became the engine of this transformation.
In the West, "import/export" is a standard business term. In China, **进出口** carries the added weight of national development and newfound prosperity. For decades, the growth of **进出口** volume was a primary metric of the nation's success, reported nightly on the news and discussed by everyone from economists to factory workers.
Compared to the broader English term "trade," **进出口** feels more grounded and logistical. It's less about the abstract economic theory of trade and more about the tangible, physical reality of it: the ports buzzing with activity, the endless lines of container ships, and the customs offices stamping documents. It represents the hands-on, industrious nature of China's role as the "world's factory."
===== Practical Usage in Modern China =====
**进出口 (jìnchūkǒu)** is a formal and standard term used widely in business, government, and economic news.
  * **In Business:** It's most frequently seen in company names. A very common type of business is a **进出口公司 (jìnchūkǒu gōngsī)**, or an "Import-Export Company." You will also hear people talk about **进出口业务 (jìnchūkǒu yèwù)**, meaning "import-export business/operations."
  * **In Economics:** News reports and government documents constantly refer to **进出口总额 (jìnchūkǒu zǒng'é)**, the "total import-export value," as a key indicator of economic health.
  * **Formality:** The term is neutral and formal. It's the correct and standard word to use in any discussion about international trade in goods. You would not use it in a casual or slang context.
===== Example Sentences =====
  * **Example 1:**
    * 我们公司主要做**进出口**生意。
    * Pinyin: Wǒmen gōngsī zhǔyào zuò **jìnchūkǒu** shēngyi.
    * English: Our company mainly does import-export business.
    * Analysis: A very common and standard sentence you would hear in a business introduction. `做...生意 (zuò...shēngyi)` means "to do...business."
  * **Example 2:**
    * 他在一家上海的**进出口**公司工作。
    * Pinyin: Tā zài yī jiā Shànghǎi de **jìnchūkǒu** gōngsī gōngzuò.
    * English: He works at an import-export company in Shanghai.
    * Analysis: Here, **进出口** acts as an adjective to describe the type of company (公司, gōngsī).
  * **Example 3:**
    * 今年我们国家的**进出口**总额又增长了。
    * Pinyin: Jīnnián wǒmen guójiā de **jìnchūkǒu** zǒng'é yòu zēngzhǎng le.
    * English: Our country's total import and export value has grown again this year.
    * Analysis: This is typical of language used in economic news reports. `总额 (zǒng'é)` means "total amount/value."
  * **Example 4:**
    * **进出口**商品都需要经过海关检查。
    * Pinyin: **Jìnchūkǒu** shāngpǐn dōu xūyào jīngguò hǎiguān jiǎnchá.
    * English: All import and export goods must go through customs inspection.
    * Analysis: This sentence highlights the logistical process associated with the term. `海关 (hǎiguān)` means "customs."
  * **Example 5:**
    * 政府出台了新的**进出口**管理政策。
    * Pinyin: Zhèngfǔ chūtái le xīn de **jìnchūkǒu** guǎnlǐ zhèngcè.
    * English: The government has issued new import and export management policies.
    * Analysis: Demonstrates the term's use in a governmental or regulatory context.
  * **Example 6:**
    * 这家工厂生产的产品全部用于**出口**，不**进口**任何原材料。
    * Pinyin: Zhè jiā gōngchǎng shēngchǎn de chǎnpǐn quánbù yòngyú **chūkǒu**, bù **jìnkǒu** rènhé yuáncáiliào.
    * English: The products made by this factory are all for export; it doesn't import any raw materials.
    * Analysis: This example shows the constituent parts of the word, `出口 (chūkǒu)` for export and `进口 (jìnkǒu)` for import, used separately.
  * **Example 7:**
    * 深圳是一个重要的**进出口**港口。
    * Pinyin: Shēnzhèn shì yī gè zhòngyào de **jìnchūkǒu** gǎngkǒu.
    * English: Shenzhen is an important import-export port.
    * Analysis: Connects the term directly to a physical location, a `港口 (gǎngkǒu)` or "port."
  * **Example 8:**
    * 全球供应链问题影响了我们的**进出口**业务。
    * Pinyin: Quánqiú gōngyìngliàn wèntí yǐngxiǎng le wǒmen de **jìnchūkǒu** yèwù.
    * English: Global supply chain problems have affected our import-export business.
    * Analysis: Places the term in a modern, global business context. `业务 (yèwù)` means business activities or operations.
  * **Example 9:**
    * 你对**进出口**流程熟悉吗？
    * Pinyin: Nǐ duì **jìnchūkǒu** liúchéng shúxī ma?
    * English: Are you familiar with the import-export process?
    * Analysis: A practical question you might ask a potential employee or business partner. `流程 (liúchéng)` means "process" or "procedure."
  * **Example 10:**
    * 维持**进出口**平衡对经济稳定至关重要。
    * Pinyin: Wéichí **jìnchūkǒu** pínghéng duì jīngjì wěndìng zhìguān zhòngyào.
    * English: Maintaining a balance of imports and exports is crucial for economic stability.
    * Analysis: A high-level sentence discussing economic policy. `平衡 (pínghéng)` means "balance."
===== Nuances and Common Mistakes =====
  * **`进出口` vs. `贸易` (màoyì):** This is the most common point of confusion.
    * **进出口 (jìnchūkǒu)** specifically refers to the import and export of **physical goods**. It's about logistics.
    * **贸易 (màoyì)** means "trade" in a much broader sense. It can include goods, services, and financial assets.
    * **Example:** You would say **进出口公司 (jìnchūkǒu gōngsī)** for a company that moves products, but you say **世界贸易组织 (Shìjiè Màoyì Zǔzhī)** for the "World Trade Organization," because it deals with the rules of trade in general, not just shipping boxes.
  * **Not for Personal Actions:** **进出口** refers to the business or large-scale activity. An individual buying a product from overseas is not "doing jìnchūkǒu."
    * **Incorrect:** 我**进出口**了一本书。(Wǒ jìnchūkǒu le yī běn shū.)
    * **Correct (for an individual):** 我从国外买了一本书。(Wǒ cóng guówài mǎi le yī běn shū.) - "I bought a book from abroad."
    * **Correct (for a business):** 我们公司**进口**了一批书。(Wǒmen gōngsī jìnkǒu le yī pī shū.) - "Our company imported a batch of books." (Note the use of `进口` for just importing).
  * **Use `进口` and `出口` for One-Way Actions:** When you are only talking about importing or only exporting, use the individual words `进口 (jìnkǒu)` or `出口 (chūkǒu)`. **进出口 (jìnchūkǒu)** implies the two-way nature of the business as a whole.
===== Related Terms and Concepts =====
  * **[[进口]] (jìnkǒu):** To import; an import. The "enter port" component of the main term.
  * **[[出口]] (chūkǒu):** To export; an export. The "exit port" component of the main term.
  * **[[贸易]] (màoyì):** Trade. The broader economic concept that encompasses **进出口**.
  * **[[外贸]] (wàimào):** Foreign trade. A common and slightly less formal synonym for international trade business.
  * **[[海关]] (hǎiguān):** Customs. The government authority that inspects and regulates all **进出口** activities.
  * **[[关税]] (guānshuì):** Tariff; customs duty. The tax levied on imported (and sometimes exported) goods.
  * **[[港口]] (gǎngkǒu):** Port; harbor. The physical location where **进出口** takes place.
  * **[[集装箱]] (jízhuāngxiāng):** Shipping container. The quintessential object of modern **进出口**.
  * **[[顺差]] (shùnchā):** Trade surplus (lit. "favorable difference"). When a country's exports exceed its imports.
  * **[[逆差]] (nìchā):** Trade deficit (lit. "adverse difference"). When a country's imports exceed its exports.