Name

COMMERCIAL PRESS LIMITED

Legal name

商务印书馆有限公司 (The Commercial Press Ltd.)

Website

https://cp.com.cn

Company type

Private

Founded year

1897

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Reference Book Publishing

NAICS

Book Publishers (513130), Periodical Publishers (51312)

SIC

Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731), Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

Reference Works & Academic Databases (Encyclopedias, Indexes, Abstracts) (MPAJABAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Research Monographs & University Press Publishing (MPAJABAJ), Academic & Scholarly Journals Publishing (Peer-Reviewed) (MPAJABAC)

Keywords

• Dictionary publishing
• Academic publishing
• Reference books
• Bilingual dictionaries
• Chinese language learning

Headquarters

HQ city

Beijing, China

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Physical Book Sales: Sale of physical books including dictionaries, academic works, educational materials, and general publications through retail and wholesale channels
2. Digital Products: Revenue from e-books, online databases, and mobile applications
3. Rights and Licensing: International publishing rights, copyright licensing for translations and co-publications

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Commercial Press is a state-owned publishing house that publishes and sells authoritative Chinese-language dictionaries and reference works (including Xinhua Dictionary, Modern Chinese Dictionary, Ciyuan, and Oxford English-Chinese bilingual dictionaries), academic and scholarly books (most notably the 汉译世界学术名著丛书 translation series), educational materials, magazines, and digital products (e-books, databases, and the 涵芬APP language knowledge platform). It distributes through e-commerce flagship stores, physical bookstores, regional subsidiaries, and institutional academic publishing services for government and universities.

Product overview

Commercial Press Limited (商务印书馆) is a traditional book publishing house organized around three core pillars: Chinese and foreign language dictionaries and reference tools (including flagship works such as《新华字典》第13版,《现代汉语词典》第7版,《辞源》第三版, and the Oxford English-Chinese Bilingual Dictionary series), academic scholarly works (notably the《汉译世界学术名著丛书》reaching 1000 titles and the《远方译丛》travel literature series), and digital products and services (e-books, databases, and the 涵芬APP language knowledge platform). The company also publishes periodicals including《英语世界》and《汉语世界》magazines, the《语言战略研究》academic journal, and the纪检监察研究与探索 series. Its portfolio spans Chinese language tools, foreign language dictionaries across 10+ languages, academic subjects including philosophy, history, law, economics, and education, as well as cultural and children's publications. Subsidiaries include the Fuzhou branch, Beijing Hanfen Tower Cultural Communication, and 商印文津文化 (Beijing) focused on classical studies. The company distributes through flagship stores on major Chinese e-commerce platforms including JD.com, Tmall, and Dangdang.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• 涵芬楼 (Hanfenlou): Book retail and cultural space brand operated by Beijing Hanfenlou Cultural Communication Co., Ltd., publishing literature, history, popular and academic titles.
• 远方译丛 (Yuanfang Yicong)
• 汉译世界学术名著丛书 (Han Yi Shijie Xueshu Mingzhu Congshu)
• 语言资源知识服务平台（涵芬APP）

Products and services

• 新华字典 (Xinhua Dictionary, 13th Edition) China's first modern Chinese normative dictionary, first published in 1953; the 13th edition revised with new words, senses, examples, and updated appendices, featuring QR codes for standard pronunciation audio, stroke animations, and knowledge explanations. Contains over 13,000 single characters and 3,300+ words.
• 现代汉语词典 (Modern Chinese Dictionary, 7th Edition - Reverse Order) Medium-sized normative modern Chinese dictionary; reverse-order arrangement edition published separately to facilitate poetry composition and language research.
• 辞源 (Ciyuan, 3rd Edition) Classic Chinese etymology dictionary; third edition revision published by Commercial Press as one of its flagship reference works.
• 牛津高阶英汉双解词典 (Oxford Advanced Learner's English-Chinese Dictionary, 10th Edition) Oxford Advanced Learner's English-Chinese Bilingual Dictionary; authoritative English-Chinese bilingual dictionary available in multiple editions for English learners, produced in partnership with Oxford University Press.
• 汉译世界学术名著丛书 (Han Yi World Academic Classics Translation Series) Landmark academic book series translating Western scholarly classics across philosophy, economics, politics, history, and social sciences; reached 1000th title in 2024.
• 远方译丛 (Yuanfang Yicong Travel Literature Series) Historical travel literature series edited by Professor Luo Xin of Peking University, featuring travel writing, history, and cultural exploration from around the world.
• 涵芬APP (Hanfen Language Resource Knowledge Service Platform) Language resource knowledge service platform app providing digital language learning and reference services under the Hanfen brand.
• E-books (电子书) Digital e-book products offered under the Digital section of Commercial Press, covering dictionaries, academic works, and general titles.
• Online Databases (数据库) Database products including the 万川学术 academic database platform, complementing e-books and apps in the company's digital portfolio.
• 纪检监察研究与探索 (Discipline Inspection and Supervision Studies Journal Series) Academic journal series on discipline inspection and supervision studies, co-published with Fujian Normal University廉政研究院, covering纪检监察理论, 廉政学, and related topics.
• 《英语世界》(English World Magazine) English language learning magazine published by Commercial Press International, targeting English learners and readers.
• 《汉语世界》(Chinese World Magazine) Chinese language and culture magazine published by Commercial Press International, targeting readers learning Chinese language and culture.
• 《语言战略研究》(Language Strategy Research Journal) Academic journal focused on language strategy research, published as part of Commercial Press's academic periodical offerings.
• 唯美·故宫，故宫 (Premium Illustrated Edition - The Forbidden City) High-end art book with premium production quality about the Forbidden City, priced at ¥798.
• Academic Press Services (学术出版服务) Professional academic publishing services for government, universities, and academic societies in fields including law, sociology, and disciplinary inspection studies, offered under multi-year contracts.

Quantifiable outcome

• 新华字典 achieved Guinness World Records in 2016 for 'Most Popular Dictionary' and 'Best-selling Regularly Revised Book'
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Oxford University PresscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Long-standing partnership for bilingual dictionaries including the Oxford Advanced Learner's English-Chinese Dictionary. The partnership has produced the 牛津高阶英汉双解词典 (Oxford Advanced Learner's English-Chinese Dictionary), which is sold at ¥198 and noted as selling 2.2 copies per minute.
• Chinese Academy of Social Sciences - Institute of LinguisticscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional dictionary editing institution - the 非实体研究中心 responsible for compiling and revising Commercial Press's flagship dictionaries 新华字典 and 现代汉语词典.
• China Publishing GroupcoreOthersParent group providing strategic direction and resource coordination for Commercial Press and other member publishing houses.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• People's Education Press: China's largest educational publisher, producing textbooks for primary and secondary schools. Direct peer in the educational reference and curriculum-aligned publishing segment, with significant overlap in the student dictionary market.
• Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press: Specializes in foreign language learning materials, dictionaries, and academic publications in China. Directly competes with Commercial Press in bilingual dictionaries and English-Chinese reference products, including institutional academic publishing.
• Oxford University Press: Global leader in dictionary and reference publishing and Commercial Press's strategic bilingual dictionary partner. Direct peer in the authoritative reference and academic monograph space, with comparable brand positioning in the Chinese market through the co-publishing relationship.
• Zhonghua Book Company: One of China's oldest and most prestigious publishers, focused on classical Chinese texts, reference works, and scholarly editions. Closest direct competitor in the authoritative Chinese reference and academic publishing space, also a peer in scale and state-owned heritage.
• SDX Joint Publishing Company: Renowned Chinese publisher of academic and intellectual books, particularly in humanities, social sciences, and culture. Comparable to Commercial Press's scholarly and cultural publishing segment, with overlapping readership among educated Chinese readers.
• Peking University Press: University press publishing scholarly monographs, academic journals, and educational materials across humanities and social sciences. Directly comparable to Commercial Press's Han Yi academic classics translation series and academic reference portfolio.

Emerging players

• CITIC Press: Major Chinese publisher of business, management, and popular non-fiction books. Adjacent peer in academic and intellectual publishing, with overlapping author and readership base but a focus on contemporary commercial titles rather than classical reference works.
• Yilin Press: Specializes in translation of foreign literary and academic works into Chinese, with strong positioning in foreign fiction and social sciences. Comparable to Commercial Press's Han Yi translation series and academic translation activities.

Broad incumbents

• Merriam-Webster: America's authoritative dictionary and reference publisher with strong brand and digital presence. Comparable as a dictionary-focused reference publisher with similar product positioning, though serving a different geographic market; useful for understanding the digital dictionary business model.
• Shanghai Century Publishing Group: One of China's largest publishing conglomerates with a broad portfolio across education, academic, and general publishing. Comparable as a diversified publishing incumbent competing with Commercial Press across multiple categories including reference, academic, and educational books.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xweibo.com/shangwuyinshuguan
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/commercial-press-limited

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about COMMERCIAL PRESS LIMITED