传销

傳銷

chuánxiāo

noun #28,368

Meanings

1 multi-level marketing (MLM)
2 pyramid scheme (in Chinese legal usage)

Characters

to spread; to transmit; to pass on

to sell; to market; to melt

Examples

他被朋友拉进了一个传销组织。

Tā bèi péngyǒu lā jìn le yī gè chuánxiāo zǔzhī.

He was pulled into an MLM organization by a friend.

传销在中国是非法的。

Chuánxiāo zài Zhōngguó shì fēifǎ de.

Multi-level marketing (pyramid schemes) is illegal in China.

Tips

culture

In China, 传销 specifically refers to illegal pyramid schemes and is distinct from regulated direct selling (直销). Chinese law banned 传销 in 1998. The word has strongly negative connotations and is associated with fraud and coercion.

Stroke Order

传 chuán

销 xiāo