卖
mài
The same trade, seen from behind the counter
The picture An item leaves the shelf and goes out, and money comes in to fill the gap it left. 卖 sends goods out and brings money in; 买 sends money out and brings goods in.
Where the picture shows up in 卖
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things that leave this shop
这里卖手机卡吗？
zhèli mài shǒujī kǎ ma
Do you sell SIM cards here?
Inside the shop, SIM cards come off the rack, pass the till, and go out the door one by one
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nothing left to go out
今天的面包卖完了。
jīntiān de miànbāo mài wán le
Today's bread is sold out.
The bread shelf holds nothing but crumbs and an empty tray
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the price on the way out
这个多少钱卖？
zhège duōshao qián mài
How much are you selling this for?
The owner weighs the item in one hand, taps a figure into the calculator, and fixes the price it leaves at
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going out fast
新款卖得很好。
xīnkuǎn mài de hěn hǎo
The new model sells really well.
A shelf restocked in the morning standing half-empty again by evening
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landing in someone's hands
我把旧车卖给了同事。
wǒ bǎ jiù chē mài gěi le tóngshì
I sold my old car to a colleague.
Car keys pressed into a colleague's palm while cash comes back from it
All of it in one picture
卖 is one picture: goods going out, money coming in. Asking whether SIM cards are on the list of things that leave this shop is how you ask if they sell them. Nothing left to go out means sold out; the price you attach to what goes out is what "how much are you selling it for" asks. Things going out fast means it sells well, and goods that land in a colleague's hands means you sold it to them.