buôn ngồi
Definition
- Verb phrase:
- To engage in sedentary commerce; to be a sedentary trader: Refers to the business activity of buying and selling goods from a fixed location, such as a shop, stall, or market booth, as opposed to traveling to trade (buôn bán, đi buôn). The trader operates from a permanent or semi-permanent base.
Usage Examples
- Verb phrase:
- Bà ấy không đi chợ xa mà chỉ buôn ngồi tại gian hàng nhỏ. (She doesn't go to distant markets; she only engages in sedentary trade from her small stall.)
- So với buôn thúng bán bưng, buôn ngồi ít vất vả hơn. (Compared to itinerant vending, sedentary trade is less arduous.)
Advanced Usage
- The term "buôn ngồi" specifically contrasts with "buôn gánh bán bưng" or "buôn bán dạo" (itinerant vending). It highlights the trader's fixed place of business.
- It can describe a small-scale, fixed-point retail business, often within a local market ecosystem.
Variants and Related Words
- Buôn bán (v): To trade, to do business (general term).
- Bán hàng cố định (v): To sell goods from a fixed location (a more descriptive, modern phrase).
- Tiểu thương (n): A small trader, a retailer (can be either sedentary or itinerant).
Synonyms
- Bán hàng tại chỗ: To sell goods on the spot/at a fixed location.
- Kinh doanh tại một địa điểm cố định: To do business at a fixed location.
Related Phrases
- Buôn ngồi bán đứng: A phrase sometimes used to emphasize the contrast between the sedentary nature of buying/ordering (ngồi) and the active nature of selling (đứng), though "buôn ngồi" alone is standard.
Related Idioms
- : To reap benefits while sitting in one place (not a direct synonym, but shares the concept of sedentary benefit). This idiom has a more passive, sometimes negative connotation compared to the active trade implied by "buôn ngồi".