购物

• Pinyin: gòu wù
• Hanzi breakdown: 购 = 贝 (shell/money) + 勾 (hook) — to buy; 物 = 牛 (ox) + 勿 — thing, object

Meaning

To shop; shopping. The activity of browsing and buying goods.

A general term for the activity of shopping. Common collocations include 购物中心 (shopping centre), 网上购物 (online shopping), 购物车 (shopping cart), and 购物袋 (shopping bag). Can be used as both a verb and a noun modifier.

Examples

1. 周末我们一起去购物吧。 Let's go shopping together this weekend.
2. 现在很多人都喜欢在网上购物。 Nowadays many people like to shop online.
3. 这个购物中心里有很多品牌店。 There are many brand-name shops in this shopping centre.

Usage Guide

Context: everyday, leisure

Tone: casual

Do Say

• 我喜欢周末去购物放松一下。(I like to go shopping on weekends to relax.)
• 网上购物越来越方便了。(Online shopping is getting more and more convenient.)

Don't Say

• 我购物了一件衣服 (Don't use 购物 as a transitive verb with a direct object — 购物 is intransitive; say 我买了一件衣服 or 我去购物买了一件衣服)

Origin & History

购 (to buy) + 物 (thing/item, from 牛 ox + 勿). The act of buying things — shopping.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal