====== jiàngjià: 降价 - To Lower a Price, Price Reduction, Discount ======
===== Quick Summary =====
  * **Keywords:** jiàngjià, 降价, reduce price in Chinese, lower price, discount Chinese, Chinese for sale, on sale in Chinese, price cut, bargaining in Chinese, 打折 vs 降价, Chinese shopping vocabulary
  * **Summary:** Discover the essential Chinese term **降价 (jiàngjià)**, which literally means "to lower the price." This is a fundamental word for anyone shopping, bargaining, or doing business in China. This guide breaks down its meaning, cultural significance in contexts like market haggling and massive e-commerce sales, and how it differs from similar terms like `打折 (dǎzhé)`. Learn how to use `降价` effectively to get a better deal and understand modern Chinese consumer culture.
===== Core Meaning =====
  * **Pinyin (with tone marks):** jiàngjià
  * **Part of Speech:** Verb-Object Compound (can be used as a verb or a noun)
  * **HSK Level:** HSK 4
  * **Concise Definition:** To reduce the price of a product or service.
  * **In a Nutshell:** **降价 (jiàngjià)** is the direct and literal term for a price drop. Think of it as the price physically "descending." It's used by sellers to announce a sale and by buyers to ask for a better price. Unlike a percentage-based discount, `降价` refers to the absolute value of the price going down, for example, from 100 yuan to 80 yuan. It’s a straightforward, essential word for any transaction.
===== Character Breakdown =====
  * **降 (jiàng):** This character means "to descend," "to fall," or "to lower." You can picture something coming down from a higher position. It's the same character used in `降落 (jiàngluò)` for an airplane landing.
  * **价 (jià):** This character means "price" or "value." It's made up of the "person" radical `人 (rén)` on the left, suggesting that price is a value determined by people.
  * Together, **降 (lower) + 价 (price) = 降价 (to lower the price)**. The meaning is transparent and logical.
===== Cultural Context and Significance =====
  * **The Art of Bargaining:** In many traditional Chinese markets, street stalls, and even some smaller shops, prices are not always fixed. The expectation to bargain, or `讨价还价 (tǎojià huánjià)`, is common. Asking for a **降价** is a standard part of this social and economic interaction. It's often less about being cheap and more about participating in the expected ritual of the transaction.
  * **E-commerce Mania:** In modern China, **降价** is the engine of massive online shopping festivals like "Singles' Day" (双十一 - Shuāng Shíyī on November 11th) and "618" (on June 18th). During these periods, brands and platforms compete by announcing huge **降价** promotions, and the term is plastered across every app and website. It signifies a major, often time-limited, sales event.
  * **Comparison to Western Culture:** In the West, we typically use terms like "sale," "discount," or "markdown." While **降价** can mean all of these, it's more literal. The closest Western concept is a "price drop" or "price cut." The key difference is its active use in bargaining. An American shopper is less likely to walk into a store and ask the manager to "lower the price" on an item, whereas in the right context in China, this is perfectly normal.
===== Practical Usage in Modern China =====
  * **As a Verb (by a seller):** A shop owner might announce a promotion.
    * > ''"为了吸引顾客，我们决定所有商品都**降价**10%。"'' (To attract customers, we decided to lower the price of all goods by 10%.)
  * **As a Verb (by a buyer):** This is the classic bargaining usage.
    * > ''"这个价格太贵了，能不能再**降价**一点？"'' (This price is too high, can you lower it a little more?)
  * **As a Noun:** To talk about the event of a price reduction itself.
    * > ''"最近的房价有一次大幅度的**降价**。"'' (Recently, there was a large-scale price reduction in housing prices.)
  * **Formality:** **降价** is a neutral term. It is equally appropriate in a formal business report analyzing market trends and in a casual conversation haggling over a souvenir.
===== Example Sentences =====
  * **Example 1:**
    * 老板，这件衣服可以**降价**吗？
    * Pinyin: Lǎobǎn, zhè jiàn yīfu kěyǐ **jiàngjià** ma?
    * English: Boss, can you lower the price of this piece of clothing?
    * Analysis: A very common and polite way to start bargaining in a small shop or market. "老板 (lǎobǎn)" is a common way to address a shopkeeper.
  * **Example 2:**
    * 由于竞争激烈，很多手机品牌都开始**降价**了。
    * Pinyin: Yóuyú jìngzhēng jīliè, hěnduō shǒujī pǐnpái dōu kāishǐ **jiàngjià** le.
    * English: Due to fierce competition, many mobile phone brands have started to lower their prices.
    * Analysis: This shows `降价` used in a business or economic context. The particle `了 (le)` indicates a change of state—the price reduction has started.
  * **Example 3:**
    * 如果你买两个，我就给你**降价**。
    * Pinyin: Rúguǒ nǐ mǎi liǎng ge, wǒ jiù gěi nǐ **jiàngjià**.
    * English: If you buy two, then I'll give you a price reduction.
    * Analysis: A typical conditional sentence used in negotiation, showing a cause (buy two) and effect (get a price drop).
  * **Example 4:**
    * 这次**降价**的幅度非常大，吸引了很多顾客。
    * Pinyin: Zhè cì **jiàngjià** de fúdù fēicháng dà, xīyǐnle hěnduō gùkè.
    * English: The extent of the price reduction this time was very large, attracting a lot of customers.
    * Analysis: Here, `降价` is used as a noun. `幅度 (fúdù)` means "range" or "scope," so `降价的幅度` means "the extent of the price reduction."
  * **Example 5:**
    * 听说新款 iPhone 发布后，旧款就会**降价**。
    * Pinyin: Tīngshuō xīnkuǎn iPhone fābù hòu, jiùkuǎn jiù huì **jiàngjià**.
    * English: I heard that after the new model iPhone is released, the old models will drop in price.
    * Analysis: A perfect example of how `降价` is used to talk about product life cycles and pricing strategy.
  * **Example 6:**
    * 开发商拒绝**降价**，所以房子一套也卖不出去。
    * Pinyin: Kāifāshāng jùjué **jiàngjià**, suǒyǐ fángzi yī tào yě mài bu chūqù.
    * English: The developers refused to lower prices, so they couldn't even sell one apartment.
    * Analysis: This demonstrates the negative form, `拒绝降价 (jùjué jiàngjià)` or "refuse to lower the price," often seen in news about the real estate market.
  * **Example 7:**
    * 为了清库存，我们不得不大幅**降价**。
    * Pinyin: Wèile qīng kùcún, wǒmen bùdébù dàfú **jiàngjià**.
    * English: In order to clear out our inventory, we have no choice but to drastically lower prices.
    * Analysis: The adverb `大幅 (dàfú)` means "drastically" or "by a large margin," and it's frequently paired with `降价`.
  * **Example 8:**
    * 他一直在等那台电脑**降价**，等了半年了。
    * Pinyin: Tā yīzhí zài děng nà tái diànnǎo **jiàngjià**, děngle bàn nián le.
    * English: He has been waiting for that computer to drop in price for half a year.
    * Analysis: Shows `降价` as an anticipated event. `在等 (zài děng)` + something + verb phrase is a common structure for "waiting for something to happen."
  * **Example 9:**
    * 这家超市的蔬菜今天**降价**处理。
    * Pinyin: Zhè jiā chāoshì de shūcài jīntiān **jiàngjià** chǔlǐ.
    * English: This supermarket's vegetables are being sold at a reduced price today.
    * Analysis: `降价处理 (jiàngjià chǔlǐ)` is a set phrase meaning "to sell off at a reduced price," often for perishable goods or items being cleared out.
  * **Example 10:**
    * 别指望了，奢侈品是不会轻易**降价**的。
    * Pinyin: Bié zhǐwàng le, shēchǐpǐn shì bù huì qīngyì **jiàngjià** de.
    * English: Don't count on it, luxury goods will not lower their prices easily.
    * Analysis: This illustrates the concept that some items, due to their brand value (`奢侈品` - luxury goods), are not expected to `降价`. `轻易 (qīngyì)` means "easily."
===== Nuances and Common Mistakes =====
  * **`降价 (jiàngjià)` vs. `打折 (dǎzhé)`: The Most Common Point of Confusion**
    * This is the most critical distinction for learners.
    * **`降价`** is about an **absolute price drop**. It answers the question "How much cheaper is it in yuan?" (e.g., "It was ¥100, now it's ¥80. It `降价`了20元.")
    * **`打折 (dǎzhé)`** is about a **percentage discount**. It answers the question "What percentage of the original price do I pay?" The logic is opposite to English: `打八折 (dǎ bā zhé)` means you pay 80% of the price (a 20% discount). `打七五折 (dǎ qīwǔ zhé)` means you pay 75% (a 25% discount).
    * **Incorrect:** "这个可以**降价**八折吗？" (Can you lower the price to an 80% discount?)
    * **Correct:** "可以**打八折**吗？" OR "可以**降价**到80元吗？" (Can you lower the price to 80 yuan?)
  * **Using `降价` as an Adjective**
    * Be careful not to use `降价` like the English word "cheap."
    * **Incorrect:** "这个东西很**降价**。"
    * **Correct:** "这个东西**降价**了。" (This item's price has been reduced.) OR "这个东西很**便宜** (piányi)。" (This item is very cheap.)
===== Related Terms and Concepts =====
  * `[[打折]] (dǎzhé)` - To give a percentage-based discount. The most important term to contrast with `降价`.
  * `[[促销]] (cùxiāo)` - Sales promotion. A very broad term for any activity meant to boost sales, including `降价`, coupons, or buy-one-get-one-free.
  * `[[优惠]] (yōuhuì)` - A discount, a favorable or preferential price. Often found on `优惠券 (yōuhuìquàn)` - coupons.
  * `[[涨价]] (zhǎngjià)` - The direct antonym of `降价`; to raise or increase the price.
  * `[[讨价还价]] (tǎojià huánjià)` - A four-character idiom meaning "to haggle" or "to bargain." This is the action one takes to request a `降价`.
  * `[[便宜]] (piányi)` - An adjective meaning "cheap" or "inexpensive." This is the desired outcome of a successful `降价`.
  * `[[特价]] (tèjià)` - A special price; on sale. An item listed at a `特价` has already undergone a `降价`.
  * `[[价格]] (jiàgé)` - The formal word for "price." It is the `价` in `降价`.