卖 关 子

mài guān zidictionary entry

(in storytelling) to keep listeners in suspense / (in general) to keep people on tenterhooks

Sources & editorial notes

Reference definitions: CC-CEDICT contributors and MDBG, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source release 2026-10-27T01:55:52Z. Imported 2026-10-27. Definition wording and meaning order are retained. Recognized pronunciation references are displayed with tone marks; the original source record is available below.

Source record: cd-dce84021dd9aa390. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

賣關子 卖关子 [mai4 guan1 zi5] /(in storytelling) to keep listeners in suspense/(in general) to keep people on tenterhooks/

Reference definitions and teaching material have separate provenance.

Reference information

The definitions above are from CC-CEDICT. Examples and usage notes are available on selected entries.

Character information

View the individual characters. Their meanings do not necessarily explain the meaning of the whole word.

Other forms in these source records: 賣關子

卖
mài
to sell / to betray / to spare no effort / to show off or flaunt
关
guān
mountain pass / to close / to shut / to turn off / to confine / to lock (sb) up / to shut (sb in a room, a bird in a cage etc) / to concern / to involve
Guān
surname Guan
子
zǐ
son / child / seed / egg / small thing / 1st earthly branch: 11 p.m.–1 a.m., midnight, 11th solar month (7th December to 5th January), year of the rat / viscount, fourth of five orders of nobility 五等爵位[wǔ děng jué wèi] / ancient Chinese compass point: 0° (north) / subsidiary / subordinate / (prefix) sub-
zi
noun suffix, as in 椅子[yǐ zi] "chair"

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.