厂商

The Chinese word 厂商 (chǎngshāng) is a compound word consisting of two characters: 厂 (chǎng) and 商 (shāng). The character 厂 originally meant "a workshop" or "a factory", and later extended to mean "a business" or "a company". The character 商 originally meant "a merchant" or "a trader", and later extended to mean "commerce" or "business". Therefore, the compound word 厂商 literally means "a business entity that produces or sells goods", and is often translated as "manufacturer" or "supplier". In modern Chinese, 厂商 is commonly used to refer to a company or an organization that is involved in the production or sale of goods.