股票 (gǔ piào) literally means 'share ticket' — 股 (gǔ) refers to a share or portion of ownership in a company, and 票 (piào) means 'ticket' or 'certificate'. Together, they denote a stock share: a financial instrument representing partial ownership in a publicly traded corporation. In modern usage, 股票 is the standard term for equity securities traded on stock exchanges like the Shanghai or Shenzhen Stock Exchange.

This word appears frequently in business news, personal finance discussions, and investment contexts. It’s commonly used with verbs like 买 (buy), 卖 (sell), 持有 (hold), or 上涨/下跌 (rise/fall). While historically linked to physical paper certificates, today 股票 almost always refers to electronic holdings. The plural form doesn’t require a measure word — you can say '很多股票' (many stocks) or specify quantity with 张 (e.g., 一张股票, one stock certificate), though the latter is now largely formal or historical.