maai5 baan6買辦买办

Jyutpingmaai5 baan6

Yalemáaih baahn

Definition

Comprador; a Chinese agent employed by a foreign establishment to manage local trading, translation, and negotiations.

datedworkpeople

How it's used

Historically, this term refers to a specific class of Chinese merchants who acted as middlemen between foreign companies and the local market during the colonial era. It carries a strong historical weight and is rarely used to describe modern business roles. Using it to describe a contemporary purchasing agent or middleman would sound archaic or confusing.

Measure word

go3個go

Examples

ji5以cin4前hou2好do1多maai5買baan2辦dou1都hai6係bong1幫joeng4洋hong2行zou6做je5嘢。

In the past, many compradors worked for foreign firms.

keoi5佢zou6做maai5買baan2辦go2嗰zan6陣zaan6賺zo2咗hou2好do1多cin2錢aa4呀。

He earned a lot of money when he was a comprador.

Common phrases

joeng4洋hong2行maai5買baan2辦

foreign firm comprador

Common mistake

Do not confuse this with modern terms for purchasing agents like 採購員, as 買辦 is strictly tied to the historical context of 19th and early 20th-century trade.