Nuance Dictionary / Social Situations
입찰 ip-chal
The formal corporate or construction process of submitting sealed bids to win a large-scale project contract.
What does 입찰 mean?
입찰 (ip-chal) means: The formal corporate or construction process of submitting sealed bids to win a large-scale project contract.
In textbooks, 입찰 is neatly translated as 'bidding' or 'tender,' but in the real world of Korean real estate, construction, and government contracts, it represents a high-stakes battlefield of paperwork, whispered strategy, and fierce competition. Natives use this word when talking about massive capital movement, public infrastructure projects, and the rigid, deadline-driven bureaucracy that decides which company survives and which one goes under. Learners often confuse it with general negotiation, missing the cold, sealed-envelope finality of the process.
How it's actually used
- 이번 지하철 공사 입찰에 세 개 건설사가 참여했습니다.
i-beon ji-ha-cheol gong-sa ip-chal-e se gae geon-seol-sa-ga cham-yeo-ha-et-seum-ni-da.
Three construction companies participated in this subway construction tender.
💡 Shows the institutional scale where 입찰 is deployed alongside major public infrastructure. - 입찰 마감 시간이 불과 10분밖에 안 남았어. 서둘러!
ip-chal ma-gam si-gan-i bul-gwa sip-bun-bak-e an nam-at-seo. seodulleo!
We only have ten minutes left until the bidding deadline. Hurry up!
💡 Captures the frantic, high-adrenaline panic of the corporate procurement office right before submission. - 우리 회사는 이번 공공기관 대형 프로젝트 입찰에 모든 역량을 쏟아붓고 있다.
Uri hoesaneun ibeon gonggonggwan daehyeong peurrojekteu ipchare modeun ryeongnyangeul ssodabugo itda.
Our company is pouring all its resources into winning the bidding for this large public sector project.
💡 Used in high-stakes corporate and construction contexts.
Related words in Social Situations
입에 침이 마르다 Ip-e chim-i ma-reu-da잘 먹었습니다 Jal meogeotseumnida잘 먹겠습니다 Jal meokgesseumnida적반하장 jeok-ban-ha-jang적당히 jeokdanghi