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收购 (shōu gòu) — to acquire (a company, shares, etc.); to purchase (goods, products, etc.)

Definition

收购 is a formal business verb: 'to acquire' (a company, shares) or 'to purchase in bulk' (goods, materials). Compared with 购买, it implies larger-scale or strategic procurement; 买 is everyday. Compare 并购 for corporate M&A.

verb
to acquire (a company, shares, etc.)to purchase (goods, products, etc.)

Examples

  • 收购。
    Tā men chéng gōng shōu gòu le nà jiā gōng sī de gǔ fèn.
    They successfully acquired the shares of that company.
  • 收购。
    Zhè jiā qǐ yè cóng nóng mín shǒu zhōng shōu gòu le dà liàng nóng chǎn pǐn.
    This enterprise purchased a large amount of agricultural products from farmers.
  • 收购。
    Gōng sī jì huà shōu gòu xīn shè bèi lái tí gāo chǎn liàng.
    The company plans to purchase new equipment to increase production.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

收shōutake in
购gòubuy

收 and 购 both involve taking in or buying, so 收购 means to purchase or acquire.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
攴攴pū
Sound part声符shēngfú
丩
丩jiū收shōu
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

收 uses 攴 to show an action and 丩 as a sound clue; the old meaning was 'to arrest.'

Open 收 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 購; 购 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
貝貝bèishellfish
Sound part声符shēngfú
冓
冓gòu購gòu
Same sound today

The traditional form 購 pairs 貝, a shellfish, with 冓, which gives the sound; the simplified 购 is a later shorthand.

Open 购 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 6Business & Commerce

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