收购

shōugòu: 收购 - To acquire, to purchase, acquisition

Quick Summary

  • Keywords: shougou, shōugòu, 收购, shougou meaning, Chinese for acquisition, company acquisition in Chinese, corporate takeover Chinese, M&A in Chinese, purchase vs acquire in Chinese, buy up, procure.
  • Summary: Learn the meaning and usage of shōugòu (收购), a key Chinese term for “to acquire” or “purchase.” This page explains how shōugòu is used in formal business contexts, such as corporate acquisitions and large-scale procurement, and contrasts it with the everyday word for “buy,” `买 (mǎi)`. Discover its cultural significance in China's modern economy through practical examples and clear analysis, perfect for any Mandarin learner interested in business or economics.

Core Meaning

  • Pinyin (with tone marks): shōugòu
  • Part of Speech: Verb, Noun
  • HSK Level: HSK 6
  • Concise Definition: To purchase or acquire something in a large quantity or in a formal, official transaction.
  • In a Nutshell: Shōugòu isn't the word you use for buying groceries. Think bigger. It's the word for a tech giant buying a startup, a company buying tons of raw materials, or the government buying all the grain from a region. It implies a strategic, large-scale, and often formal process of “gathering and buying,” which is precisely what the characters mean.

Character Breakdown

  • 收 (shōu): To receive, to collect, to gather in. Picture a hand reaching out to gather and bring things together. It implies collecting multiple items or taking control of something.
  • 购 (gòu): To purchase, to buy. This character is composed of `贝 (bèi)`, the radical for “shell” (which was used as ancient currency), and `勾 (gōu)`, which provides the phonetic sound. So, it literally means to use money/valuables to get something.
  • When combined, 收购 (shōugòu) creates a powerful meaning: “to gather by purchasing.” This emphasizes the scale and completeness of the transaction, far more than a simple one-off purchase.

Cultural Context and Significance

  • In the context of China's rapid economic growth, 收购 (shōugòu) is an extremely important and frequently used term in news and business. It reflects the country's economic strategy, from state-led procurement of agricultural goods to ensure food security, to the aggressive international M&A (Mergers and Acquisitions, or 兼并与收购 jiānbìng yǔ shōugòu) activities of Chinese corporations.
  • Comparison to “Acquisition”: While `收购` is a direct translation of the business term “acquisition,” its usage is slightly broader in Chinese. In the West, “acquisition” almost exclusively refers to a corporate takeover. In China, while that is its primary meaning, it can also describe large-scale procurement by the state or a company, like 收购粮食 (shōugòu liángshi) - “to purchase grain.” This reflects a cultural and economic perspective where the line between state-level economic planning and corporate strategy can be more fluid than in the West. It highlights the importance of supply chain control and resource gathering in the Chinese economic mindset.

Practical Usage in Modern China

  • Corporate Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A): This is the most common context. You will see it constantly in financial news reports about one company buying another.
    • e.g., “Company A announced its acquisition of Company B.”
  • Large-Scale Procurement: This applies when a company buys raw materials in bulk or when the government purchases agricultural products from farmers. It implies a systematic, large-quantity transaction.
    • e.g., “The factory needs to acquire a new batch of steel.”
  • Collecting Valuables: In a more formal context, it can be used for acquiring antiques, art, or even old books, especially by an institution or a serious collector.
    • e.g., “The museum acquired a famous painting.”
  • Formality: Shōugòu is a formal word. Using it in casual, everyday shopping situations would sound very strange and overly dramatic. For buying a coffee or a new shirt, you must use 买 (mǎi).

Example Sentences

  • Example 1:
    • 去年，我们公司收购了一家小型科技公司。
    • Pinyin: Qùnián, wǒmen gōngsī shōugòule yījiā xiǎoxíng kējì gōngsī.
    • English: Last year, our company acquired a small tech company.
    • Analysis: This is the classic business usage of shōugòu as a verb, referring to a corporate takeover.
  • Example 2:
    • 这次收购对整个行业都产生了巨大的影响。
    • Pinyin: Zhè cì shōugòu duì zhěnggè hángyè dōu chǎnshēngle jùdà de yǐngxiǎng.
    • English: This acquisition had a huge impact on the entire industry.
    • Analysis: Here, 收购 is used as a noun, meaning “the acquisition” or “the deal.”
  • Example 3:
    • 政府开始收购农民手中的余粮。
    • Pinyin: Zhèngfǔ kāishǐ shōugòu nóngmín shǒuzhōng de yúliáng.
    • English: The government began to purchase the surplus grain from the hands of the farmers.
    • Analysis: This sentence demonstrates the large-scale procurement meaning, a common usage in the context of state economic policy.
  • Example 4:
    • 他们的收购计划最终以失败告终。
    • Pinyin: Tāmen de shōugòu jìhuà zuìzhōng yǐ shībài gàozhōng.
    • English: Their acquisition plan ultimately ended in failure.
    • Analysis: Another example of 收购 as a noun, used within the compound word 收购计划 (shōugòu jìhuà), meaning “acquisition plan.”
  • Example 5:
    • 这家跨国企业正考虑收购其主要竞争对手。
    • Pinyin: Zhè jiā kuàguó qǐyè zhèng kǎolǜ shōugòu qí zhǔyào jìngzhēng duìshǒu.
    • English: This multinational corporation is considering acquiring its main competitor.
    • Analysis: This highlights a strategic, often aggressive, business move known as a hostile or competitive takeover.
  • Example 6:
    • 废品站专门收购旧报纸和塑料瓶。
    • Pinyin: Fèipǐnzhàn zhuānmén shōugòu jiù bàozhǐ hé sùliào píng.
    • English: The recycling station specializes in purchasing old newspapers and plastic bottles.
    • Analysis: This shows shōugòu can be used for “buying up” large quantities of lower-value goods in a systematic way. It's not a corporate takeover, but it's more than a simple `买 (mǎi)`.
  • Example 7:
    • 博物馆花了重金收购了这件古代瓷器。
    • Pinyin: Bówùguǎn huāle zhòngjīn shōugòule zhè jiàn gǔdài cíqì.
    • English: The museum spent a great deal of money to acquire this piece of ancient porcelain.
    • Analysis: This demonstrates the use of shōugòu in the context of acquiring valuable cultural artifacts.
  • Example 8:
    • 关于收购的价格，双方仍在谈判。
    • Pinyin: Guānyú shōugòu de jiàgé, shuāngfāng réng zài tánpàn.
    • English: Regarding the price of the acquisition, both sides are still negotiating.
    • Analysis: Shows 收购 used as a noun to refer to the transaction itself.
  • Example 9:
    • 这家公司因资金问题放弃了收购。
    • Pinyin: Zhè jiā gōngsī yīn zījīn wèntí fàngqìle shōugòu.
    • English: This company gave up on the acquisition due to funding problems.
    • Analysis: A common business scenario where a planned acquisition does not proceed.
  • Example 10:
    • 我们的目标是收购市场上所有可用的原材料。
    • Pinyin: Wǒmen de mùbiāo shì shōugòu shìchǎng shàng suǒyǒu kěyòng de yuáncáiliào.
    • English: Our goal is to buy up all available raw materials on the market.
    • Analysis: This sentence emphasizes the “buy up” or “corner the market” aspect of shōugòu, showing its scale and strategic intent.

Nuances and Common Mistakes

  • `收购 (shōugòu)` vs. `买 (mǎi)`: This is the most crucial distinction for learners. `买 (mǎi)` is the general, all-purpose verb for “to buy.” You use it for daily shopping. `收购 (shōugòu)` is reserved for large-scale, formal, or strategic transactions.
    • Incorrect: 我今天去超市收购了一些牛奶。(Wǒ jīntiān qù chāoshì shōugòule yīxiē niúnǎi.) - This sounds absurd, like you're a corporation performing a hostile takeover of the dairy aisle.
    • Correct: 我今天去超市买了一些牛奶。(Wǒ jīntiān qù chāoshì mǎile yīxiē niúnǎi.) - “I went to the supermarket and bought some milk today.”
  • `收购 (shōugòu)` vs. `购买 (gòumǎi)`: `购买 (gòumǎi)` is a more formal version of `买 (mǎi)`. It's often used in written language or formal speech for significant purchases (like a car or a house), but it doesn't necessarily imply the massive scale or strategic takeover that `收购 (shōugòu)` does. `收购` is a subset of `购买` specifically for acquisitions and bulk procurement.

Related Terms and Concepts

  • 兼并 (jiānbìng) - Merger. Often appears with 收购 in the set phrase 兼并与收购 (jiānbìng yǔ shōugòu), which means “Mergers and Acquisitions” (M&A).
  • 购买 (gòumǎi) - To purchase. A more formal synonym for `买`, but less specific and grand-scale than `收购`.
  • 采购 (cǎigòu) - To procure, to purchase for an organization. This is the verb for what a company's purchasing department does (e.g., buying office supplies, equipment). It's about sourcing goods, whereas `收购` can be about acquiring entire companies.
  • 买 (mǎi) - To buy. The most common, everyday term. The opposite of `收购` in terms of formality and scale.
  • 出售 (chūshòu) - To sell, to offer for sale. The logical opposite of `收购`. One company `出售` itself, another `收购` it.
  • 投资 (tóuzī) - To invest. An investment can often be the first step towards a full acquisition.
  • 控股 (kònggǔ) - To hold a controlling stake. This is often the goal or result of a `收购`.
  • 资产 (zīchǎn) - Assets. The resources, property, and capital that are acquired during a `收购`.