团购

tuángòu: 团购 - Group Buying, Group Purchase

Quick Summary

  • Keywords: tuangou, 团购, group buying China, group purchase, Chinese e-commerce, Pinduoduo, Meituan, community buying, what is tuangou, buying in a group in Chinese, collective buying
  • Summary: Discover the meaning of 团购 (tuángòu), a cornerstone of modern Chinese life and e-commerce. More than just “group buying,” tuangou is a social and economic phenomenon where communities, friends, or online users band together to purchase goods and services at a discounted price. This guide explores its cultural roots in collectivism, its massive role on platforms like Pinduoduo and Meituan, and how you can use the term practically in everyday conversation.

Core Meaning

  • Pinyin (with tone marks): tuán gòu
  • Part of Speech: Verb / Noun
  • HSK Level: HSK 5
  • Concise Definition: To purchase something as a group to secure a better price; a group purchase.
  • In a Nutshell: Imagine “team-buying.” 团购 (tuángòu) is the act of pooling everyone's individual orders together into one large order to get a bulk discount. It's a highly social and practical activity in China, done for everything from groceries and movie tickets to electronics and cars. It's not just about saving money; it's about smart, collective action.

Character Breakdown

  • 团 (tuán): This character means “group,” “团體 (tuántǐ - team),” or “society.” The character 囗 represents an enclosure, with the component inside suggesting a gathering. Think of it as people coming together in one unit.
  • 购 (gòu): This character means “to buy” or “to purchase.” It's composed of 贝 (bèi), which originally meant “shell” and was used as ancient currency, and 勾 (gōu), which provides the phonetic sound. So, it's literally the act of using money (贝) to acquire something.
  • Together, 团 (group) + 购 (buy) creates the straightforward and literal meaning: “to buy as a group.”

Cultural Context and Significance

  • 团购 (tuángòu) is far more than the Western concept of “Groupon” or a Costco run. While the goal is a discount, the process is deeply embedded in Chinese social dynamics and the cultural value of collectivism (集体主义, jítǐ zhǔyì).
  • Comparison to “Groupon”: A Western service like Groupon is often an anonymous, one-off transaction between an individual and a business, facilitated by a platform. Chinese 团购, especially 社区团购 (shèqū tuángòu - community group buying), is built on social trust. It's often organized within a WeChat group for a specific apartment complex by a trusted neighbor known as a 团长 (tuánzhǎng - group leader). This turns a simple purchase into a community-building activity, strengthening neighborhood bonds.
  • A Lifeline: During the 2022 Shanghai lockdown, 团购 became an essential lifeline for millions. With normal logistics shut down, residents organized massive group buys for basic necessities like vegetables, meat, and milk. This event solidified 团购 not just as a commercial convenience but as a powerful tool for community self-organization and mutual support. It embodies the idea that the group's collective power can solve problems that are difficult for an individual to overcome.

Practical Usage in Modern China

  • 团购 is a daily activity for many people in China, facilitated by technology.
  • Online Super-Apps: Platforms like 美团 (Měituán) and 大众点评 (Dàzhòng Diǎnpíng) are famous for offering 团购 deals on meals, hotel stays, movie tickets, and beauty services. You buy a voucher through the app and redeem it at the business.
  • E-commerce Giants: 拼多多 (Pīnduōduō) built its entire empire on a social 团购 model. Users initiate a group buy for a product and must invite friends to join to unlock the lower price, turning every user into a promoter.
  • Community Group Buying (社区团购): This is arguably the most common form today. A 团长 (tuánzhǎng) in a residential community will post daily offers for fresh produce, baked goods, or other items in a WeChat group. Residents place their orders, the 团长 consolidates them, and the bulk order is delivered to a central pickup point in the complex the next day. This is the epitome of practical, trust-based 团购.
  • Connotation: The term is overwhelmingly positive and practical. Participating in a 团购 is seen as being savvy, resourceful, and community-minded.

Example Sentences

  • Example 1:
    • 我们一起团购这个吧，能便宜不少。
    • Pinyin: Wǒmen yīqǐ tuángòu zhège ba, néng piányi bùshǎo.
    • English: Let's group-buy this together, it'll be a lot cheaper.
    • Analysis: A classic invitation to start a 团购. This is a very common and casual way to use the term as a verb.
  • Example 2:
    • 这家餐厅在美团上有一个双人餐的团购。
    • Pinyin: Zhè jiā cāntīng zài Měituán shàng yǒu yī ge shuāngrén cān de tuángòu.
    • English: This restaurant has a group-buy deal for a two-person meal on Meituan.
    • Analysis: Here, 团购 is used as a noun, referring to the specific deal or offer itself.
  • Example 3:
    • 我们小区每天都有新鲜蔬菜的团购。
    • Pinyin: Wǒmen xiǎoqū měitiān dōu yǒu xīnxiān shūcài de tuángòu.
    • English: Our residential community has a group buy for fresh vegetables every day.
    • Analysis: This sentence describes the common phenomenon of community group buying (社区团购).
  • Example 4:
    • 你要加入我们的水果团购群吗？
    • Pinyin: Nǐ yào jiārù wǒmen de shuǐguǒ tuángòu qún ma?
    • English: Do you want to join our fruit group-buying group?
    • Analysis: This shows how 团购 is often organized through dedicated chat groups, most commonly on WeChat.
  • Example 5:
    • 这次团购要凑够二十个人才成团。
    • Pinyin: Zhè cì tuángòu yào còu gòu èrshí ge rén cái chéng tuán.
    • English: This group purchase needs to gather 20 people to be successful.
    • Analysis: “成团 (chéng tuán)” means “to form the group” and is a key concept in 团购. This sentence highlights the conditional nature of the deal.
  • Example 6:
    • 我是这个小区的团购团长，有需要可以找我。
    • Pinyin: Wǒ shì zhège xiǎoqū de tuángòu tuánzhǎng, yǒu xūyào kěyǐ zhǎo wǒ.
    • English: I am the group-buy leader for this community, you can find me if you need anything.
    • Analysis: This introduces the important role of the 团长 (tuánzhǎng), the organizer.
  • Example 7:
    • 公司的行政正在安排团购月饼。
    • Pinyin: Gōngsī de xíngzhèng zhèngzài ānpái tuángòu yuèbǐng.
    • English: The company's administration is arranging a group purchase of mooncakes.
    • Analysis: Demonstrates that 团购 also happens in a corporate/office context, especially for holiday gifts.
  • Example 8:
    • 你在拼多多上团购过东西吗？价格真的很有优势。
    • Pinyin: Nǐ zài Pīnduōduō shàng tuángòu guo dōngxi ma? Jiàgé zhēn de hěn yǒu yōushì.
    • English: Have you ever group-bought something on Pinduoduo? The prices are really competitive.
    • Analysis: This links 团购 directly to the platform most famous for it, Pinduoduo. “有优势 (yǒu yōushì)” means “to have an advantage.”
  • Example 9:
    • 这次团购的截止日期是今天晚上十点。
    • Pinyin: Zhè cì tuángòu de jiézhǐ rìqī shì jīntiān wǎnshang shí diǎn.
    • English: The deadline for this group purchase is 10 PM tonight.
    • Analysis: A practical sentence about the logistics of a 团购.
  • Example 10:
    • 对不起，因为人数不够，上次的咖啡豆团购取消了。
    • Pinyin: Duìbuqǐ, yīnwèi rénshù bùgòu, shàng cì de kāfēidòu tuángòu qǔxiāo le.
    • English: Sorry, because there weren't enough people, the last coffee bean group-buy was cancelled.
    • Analysis: This shows the potential downside or risk of a 团购: it might fail if the minimum threshold isn't met.

Nuances and Common Mistakes

  • False Friend: “Bulk Buying”
    • A common mistake for learners is to think 团购 is the same as “buying in bulk.” The Chinese term for buying in bulk is 批量购买 (pīliàng gòumǎi).
    • The Difference: 批量购买 is when a single entity (one person, one family, one company) buys a large quantity of something (e.g., a restaurant buying a 50kg bag of rice). 团购 is when *multiple, separate entities* (different people, different families) combine their small orders into one large order to get a better price. The key is the *collective action* of many, not the large quantity bought by one.
    • Incorrect: 我一个人去Costco团购了很多卫生纸。 (Wǒ yīge rén qù Costco tuángòu le hěn duō wèishēngzhǐ.) → This is wrong because you are one person.
    • Correct: 我一个人去Costco批量购买了很多卫生纸。 (Wǒ yīge rén qù Costco pīliàng gòumǎi le hěn duō wèishēngzhǐ.)
    • Correct for 团购: 我和邻居们一起团购了很多卫生纸。 (Wǒ hé línjūmen yīqǐ tuángòu le hěn duō wèishēngzhǐ.)

Related Terms and Concepts

  • 拼多多 (Pīnduōduō) - A massive e-commerce platform whose primary business model is social group buying.
  • 美团 (Měituán) - A super-app known for its 团购 deals on food, entertainment, and local services.
  • 团长 (tuánzhǎng) - The “group leader,” a crucial community organizer for neighborhood 团购.
  • 社区团购 (shèqū tuángòu) - “Community group buying,” the hyperlocal model popular in residential areas.
  • 打折 (dǎzhé) - To give a discount. This is the main motivation for participating in a 团购.
  • 性价比 (xìngjiàbǐ) - The cost-performance ratio. A high 性价比 is the goal of a good 团购.
  • 秒杀 (miǎoshā) - “Flash sale” (literally “second kill”). Another extremely popular online shopping concept in China.
  • 优惠券 (yōuhuìquàn) - A coupon. These are often used in combination with 团购 deals for extra savings.
  • 批量购买 (pīliàng gòumǎi) - Bulk buying. The act of a single entity buying a large quantity, distinct from the collective action of 团购.
  • 凑单 (còudān) - To add items to an order to meet a minimum threshold, often for free shipping or a discount. This is a common action within a 团购.