‘外贸’ (wài mào) literally combines ‘外’ (wài), meaning ‘outside’ or ‘foreign’, and ‘贸’ (mào), a shortened form of ‘贸易’ (màoyì, ‘trade’). Together, it means ‘foreign trade’ — the buying and selling of goods and services between China and other countries. It’s a formal, widely used term in business, government, and economic reporting.

This word appears frequently in contexts like export/import operations, international logistics, customs procedures, and policy discussions. Unlike the more general term ‘国际贸易’ (guójì màoyì), ‘外贸’ is colloquial yet professional, often used in headlines, company names (e.g., 外贸公司), and everyday business conversation. It emphasizes China’s outward-facing commercial activity and is rarely used to describe domestic trade.