He held on to the goods, waiting for a higher price.
Tips
usage
Literary word for buying or selling. Survives mainly in 沽名钓誉 (gūmíngdiàoyù, to fish for fame) and 待价而沽 (dàijià'érgū, to wait for a good price before selling). It is also an old name for Tianjin, as in 津沽 (Jīngū).
The three-drops water radical 氵 (a left form of 水, water) reflects the character's origin as the name of a river; the buy and sell senses came later by sound borrowing.
