📖 Meaning
A fair and reasonable business transaction where both parties deal on equal terms. It emphasizes honesty and equity in commerce, with neither side taking unfair advantage of the other.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase appears in Ming Dynasty author Wu Cheng'en's classic novel 'Journey to the West' (西游记), Chapter 68. In the story, characters defend their conduct by arguing that they engaged in fair trade—neither begging nor robbing—and thus committed no offense. The expression reflects traditional Chinese commercial ethics that valued honest dealing and mutual benefit in the marketplace.
💡 Example Usage
我们必须坚持公平交易的原则，才能赢得客户的信任。
We must uphold the principle of fair trade in order to win our customers' trust.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 公平交易
- Pinyin: gōng píng jiāo yì
- Literal Translation: fair, equal, exchange, trade
- Category: Morality
- Characters: 4