迟到男友、礼物心意和团购晚餐

What does “团购 (tuangou)” mean in Chinese?

Deciding where to eat, the couple says “看看有没有团购” (“let’s see if there’s a 团购”). 团购 (tuángòu) is “group buying”, 团 (tuán) “group” + 购 (gòu) “to purchase”. You buy a restaurant 套餐 (tàocān), a set-meal voucher, cheaper through an app, because the platform pools many buyers for a discount.

团购 is woven into daily Chinese life. It powers 美团 (Meituan), the giant deals-and-delivery app, and 拼多多 (Pinduoduo), whose whole model is 拼团 (team up to buy cheaper). During the pandemic, 社区团购 (community group-buying) became how whole neighbourhoods bought groceries. Learn 团购 and you can actually save money in China.