Bilateral trade (双边贸易)

Bilateral trade (双边贸易 shuāng biān mào yì) is the international trade (贸易) between two (双/二/两  shuāng/èr/liǎng) countries or sides (边 biān). 

Part 1: Breakdown of Words

• “Bilateral” (双边 shuāng biān) derives from:
  • “双” (shuāng) as in “bilingual” (双语 shuāng yǔ), “double” (双重 shuāng chóng), or “a pair of hands” (双手 shuāng shǒu). 
  • “边” (biān) as in “boundary” (边界 biān jiè), “marginal” (边际 biān jì), or “side” (旁边 páng biān).
• “Trade” (贸易 mào yì) derives from:
  • “贸” (mào) as in “hastily” (贸然 mào rán), or “foreign trade” (外贸 wài mào).
  • “易” (yì) as in “transaction” (交易 jiāo yì), “easy” (容易 róng yì), or in “prone” (易于 yì yú).

Part 2: Examples

1. Bilateral trade agreement (双边贸易协定 shuāng biān mào yì xié dìng).
2. Bilateral trade deficit (双边贸易赤字 shuāng biān mào yì chì zì).
3. Bilateral trade flows (双边贸易流量 shuāng biān mào yì liú liàng).
4. Bilateral trade negotiations (双边贸易谈判 shuāng biān mào yì tán pàn).