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采购 (cǎi gòu) — (verb) to procure, to purchase (for an organization or project); (noun) procurement, purchasing

Definition

采购 is business/organizational 'procurement' — more formal than 买 and 购买, used for company or project purchasing rather than personal shopping. Compare 收购, which means acquiring a company or assets.

verb
to procureto purchase (for an organization or project)
noun
procurementpurchasing

Examples

  • 采购。
    Gōng sī xū yào cóng guó wài cǎi gòu xiān jìn shè bèi.
    The company needs to procure advanced equipment from abroad.
  • 采购。
    Tā fù zé gōng sī de rì cháng cǎi gòu gōng zuò.
    She is responsible for the company's daily procurement work.
  • 采购。
    Zhè cì cǎi gòu jì huà xū yào tí qián shěn pī.
    This procurement plan needs to be approved in advance.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

采cǎigather
购gòubuy

采购 pairs 采 (gather) and 购 (buy), meaning to procure or purchase.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 採; 采 is its simplified writing.

The simplified 采 stands for more than one traditional character. In most words (采访, 采购) it is 採; in others it is 采.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
扌Written in full as手shǒuhand
Sound part声符shēngfú
采
采cǎi採cǎi
Same sound today

The traditional form 採 combines 扌 (hand) with 采, which gives the sound and means to pick.

Open 采 →

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 6HSK 2.0 Level 6Business & Commerce

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