商贾
shāng gǔ · HSK 7
merchant
🏪 商 (trade) + 贾 (merchant) = merchant; both halves mean trader, doubled up
Classical pairing: 商 was the traveling trader who carried goods between towns, while 贾 (read gu, not jia) was the shopkeeper who sold from a fixed stall. Stack the two and you get merchant in general.
商 — 亠 lid + 丷 + 冏 window/enclosure
In oracle bone script 商 depicted a raised platform or altar-like structure, and it served as the name of the Shang dynasty and its capital region. The modern components are a late simplification of that pictograph and carry no separate meaning. The sense 'trade, merchant' arose later, traditionally linked to Shang people who travelled to buy and sell after their dynasty fell.