A person or company standing between the maker and the buyer. There are two everyday uses.

A person or company standing between the maker and the buyer站在製造者和買家中間的一個人或一間公司。There are two everyday uses日常有兩種用法。

First, in trade: someone who buys goods from the person who makes or grows them and sells them on at a higher price — a fruit wholesaler, an importer, a shop. That extra price is why people say 'cut out the middleman', meaning buy straight from the farmer or factory so it costs less. This phrase is very common, and often carries the feeling that the middleman is taking money for doing little — a bit unfair to real wholesalers, who do carry, store and take risks, but that is the feeling in the word.

First, in trade首先，在貿易上：someone who buys goods from the person who makes or grows them指的是向製造者或生產者買貨的人，and sells them on at a higher price再用比較高的價格轉賣出去— a fruit wholesaler, an importer, a shop像是水果批發商、進口商、店家。That extra price is why people say 'cut out the middleman'正因為有這個差價，人們才會說『cut out the middleman』，meaning buy straight from the farmer or factory so it costs less意思是直接跟農夫或工廠買，這樣比較便宜。This phrase is very common這句話非常常見，and often carries the feeling而且常常帶著一種感覺，that the middleman is taking money for doing little覺得middleman沒做什麼事就賺走錢——a bit unfair to real wholesalers這對真正的批發商有點不公平，who do carry, store and take risks他們其實有做搬運、倉儲、承擔風險的工作，but that is the feeling in the word但這個字給人的感覺就是這樣。

Second, in any dealing between two sides: a person who carries messages and helps two parties who cannot or will not talk to each other directly — in a business deal, in a family argument, in politics. Here it is neutral or even positive: 'He acted as middleman between the two companies.' Plural is 'middlemen'.

Second, in any dealing between two sides第二種，用在任何雙方之間的往來上：a person who carries messages and helps two parties指的是幫忙傳話、協助雙方的人，who cannot or will not talk to each other directly當雙方無法或不願意直接對話的時候——in a business deal, in a family argument, in politics可能是生意上的協商、家庭爭執，或是政治場合。Here it is neutral or even positive在這裡這個字是中性的，甚至帶點正面：'He acted as middleman between the two companies.'『He acted as middleman between the two companies.』（他在兩家公司之間擔任中間人）Plural is 'middlemen'.複數是middlemen。

Because '-man' sounds male, careful and modern writing often prefers 'go-between', 'intermediary', 'broker' or 'agent', especially in the second sense; but 'middleman' is still extremely common in business talk, and 'cut out the middleman' has no replacement.

Because '-man' sounds male因為『-man』聽起來偏男性，careful and modern writing often prefers 'go-between', 'intermediary', 'broker' or 'agent'謹慎、現代一點的寫法比較常用go-between、intermediary、broker，或agent，especially in the second sense尤其是在第二種意思裡；but 'middleman' is still extremely common in business talk不過middleman在商業用語裡還是非常常見，and 'cut out the middleman' has no replacement而『cut out the middleman』這個說法沒有替代詞。