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Example: 在求过于供下，自然抢高租金，一有放盘就会大排长龙。

Obviously it involves raising the price.

  1. Who is the subject here? Is it the landlords who rob (抢) the tenants by raising (高) the price, or the renters who rush and compete (抢) between each other and make the price go high (高)? Or maybe it is the price that sky-rockets (抢) too high (高)?
  2. Is it a widespread or regional word? Is it colloquial or plain style?
  3. Is it perceived as a single established word, or is it just a combination of two words 抢 and 高 (like there are 写错 or 听不懂)?
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3 Answers 3

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Example: 在求过于供下，自然抢高租金。 (raising the price)

抢高 is the verb (predicate), and 租金 is the object. The subject is not provided explicitly in the sentence, but according to the predicate 抢 (compete, rush), the subject is the 租户 (renters).

抢高 is a composite verb (or verb phrase) in the form of verb + adverb.

It is a popular form of composite verbs in Chinese which are of the form verb + adverb. The adverb is the result or consequence of the action in most cases. For example,

推高 = to push upward.

压低 = to compress downward.

写错 = to write incorrectly.

Another form of composite verbs in Chinese is in the form verb + verb (double-verb). For example,

听懂 = to listen and to understand.

推升 = to push and raise something higher.

推动 = to push and move something.

帮助 = to help and support someone.

You can construct a negative form of it by inserting the word 不 (no, not) between the two words. For example,

听不懂 = do not understand what is heard.

推不动 = can not move it.

But you cannot take advantage of this structure as a general rule. For example,

你能帮助我吗？= Could you help me?

我现在帮不了你。= I cannot help you at the moment.

You would not say 我帮不助你 because none can understand it.

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抢高 is a term/jargon used in commodity trade - competitions to purchase a commodity (抢購) pushes the price up. In your case, the competition is on rental houses.

  • 在求过于供下，自然抢高租金，- Under the circumstance of demand exceeding supply, naturally the rents will rise due to competition.
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  • Thank you! But the question was more about the grammar than meaning (which is quite clear in this context). Who is the subject of 抢高: is it the renters, the sellers or the price itself?
    – cenano77
    Commented Apr 15, 2023 at 13:40
  • Read again, who demands/needs the rental property, and who supplies the rental property? The price can be pushed up by either party due to the imbalance of demand and supply. As stated, 抢高 is a jargon of trade groups.
    – r13
    Commented Apr 15, 2023 at 13:47
  • Of course it can be pushed by both owners and renters, but the word implies that even if the owner raises the price, it was caused by the renters rushing and competing (抢), right? Can you says that "the sellers 抢高 the prices", or is it only "the buyers 抢高 the prices (directly or indirectly)"?
    – cenano77
    Commented Apr 16, 2023 at 12:22
  • @cenano77 抢高 describes the phenomenon of "price rise due to demand" - 因買家搶購而導致價格提高.
    – r13
    Commented Apr 16, 2023 at 15:35
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在求过于供下，
When demand outstrips supply,
自然抢高租金，
of course there will be a scramble to hike up the rents,
一有放盘就会大排长龙。
and there will be a long queue once they start selling.

Chinese loves to squish phrases!

抢高 not really a word： 争抢加高 争抢某物/做某事

高：加高/提高
raise the rent: 提高租金
争抢：fight over, scramble for/to

Who will put up the rent? 房东们?

自然抢高租金 natural (a) scramble (to) increase (the) rent

= 自然房东们会争抢加高/提高/增加租金

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  • Rent raise resulting from 抢高 can be offered by the renters to outbid each other or demanded by the owner to take advantage of the situation.
    – r13
    Commented Apr 16, 2023 at 0:35

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