Black market (黑市)

Black market (黑市 hēi shì) refers to a market outside governmental supervision that has some aspect of illegality or some form of noncompliant behavior according to the official law and regulations.

Part 1: Breakdown of Words

“黑” (hēi) as in “darkness” (黑暗 hēi àn), “blackboard” (黑板 hēi bǎn), “blackberry” (黑莓 hēi méi), or “Black Sea” (黑海 hēi hǎi).

“市“ (shì) as in “market” (市场 shì chǎng), “city” (城市 chéng shì), “mayor” (市长 shì zhǎng), or “stock market” (股市 gǔ shì).

Part 2: Examples

1. Organ black market (人体器官黑市 rén tǐ qì guān hēi shì).
2. Black market guns (黑市枪支 hēi shì qiāng zhī).