====== 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**.