hong

hong — 名詞

1. a type of licensed trading company that operated in Chinese port cities during t

1.名詞
釋義

洋行

在中國對外港口的特許貿易商行

a type of licensed trading company that operated in Chinese port cities during the 18th and 19th centuries, acting as an agent between foreign merchants and local suppliers

例句

Mateo found a map showing every foreign hong in Canton during the 1790s.

Mateo 找到了一張地圖，標示出 1790 年代廣州的所有外國洋行。

historical context: during the 1790s

The hong owner stored chests of tea and silk in waterfront warehouses near the harbour.

洋行主人將一箱箱茶葉和絲綢存放在碼頭旁的倉庫裡。

countable noun: the hong owner

同義詞
  • factory

    historical term for a trading station or the building used by foreign merchants; 'factory' was broader and could refer to the physical premises, while 'hong' emphasised the licensed firm itself

  • trading house

    more general term for any firm engaged in international commerce; lacks the specific Chinese historical and licensing context of 'hong'

  • merchant house

    similar to 'trading house'; used across many eras and regions, not tied to the Canton trade system

用法筆記

Now primarily historical. The term appears most often in academic writing about the Canton System (c. 1760–1842), when Chinese authorities licensed specific firms to handle all foreign trade. The word is not used for modern companies.

常見錯誤

❌Hong Kong was a British hong.
✅The Jardine Matheson building in Hong Kong was originally a hong in Canton.
💡Hong Kong is the name of a territory, not a trading company. The word 'hong' refers to a specific type of licensed trading firm.