商言商

shāngyánshāng
phrase #37,814

Meanings

  1. 1 (when in) business talk business — set portion of the saying 在商言商

Examples

Zài shāng yán shāng, zánmen xiān bǎ jiàgé tán qīngchu.
When doing business, talk business — let's settle the price first.
Zài shāng yán shāng, péngyou guī péngyou, hétong hái děi qiān.
Business is business — friends are friends, but the contract still has to be signed.

Tips

usage
商言商 is the second half of the four-character saying 商言商 ('when in commerce, speak as a merchant'). It's used to politely separate personal feelings from a transaction — the speaker is signaling they're going to be straightforward about money or terms. Almost never used without in modern speech.

Stroke Order

shāng
yán