{"id":68,"date":"2016-02-19T11:16:07","date_gmt":"2016-02-19T10:16:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.duchinese.net\/blog-wp\/2016\/02\/19\/18-buying-things-on-taobao\/"},"modified":"2016-02-19T11:16:07","modified_gmt":"2016-02-19T10:16:06","slug":"18-buying-things-on-taobao","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/duchinese.net\/blog\/2016\/02\/19\/18-buying-things-on-taobao\/","title":{"rendered":"Buying things on Taobao"},"content":{"rendered":"

Do you know what the biggest online shopping site in China is?
\nIt’s not Amazon or eBay! It’s Taobao, or \u6dd8\u5b9d\u7f51 [t\u00e1o b\u01ceo w\u01ceng]!
\n\u201c\u6dd8 [t\u00e1o]\u201d here means \u201cto pan\u201d as in \u201cpanning for gold\u201d, and \u201c\u5b9d [b\u01ceo]\u201d means \u201ctreasure\u201d. So \u6dd8\u5b9d [t\u00e1o b\u01ceo] means \u201cpanning\/searching for treasure\u201d. It is operated by the Alibaba Group in China, and is a marketplace where sellers can open up online shop pages to sell their goods directly to customers.<\/p>\n

In this lesson we will look at some words and phrases related to buying things on Taobao. We will also take a look at some of the interesting goods you can find on Taobao as well as some funny pictures uploaded by buyers. Let’s first take a look at a grammar pattern.<\/p>\n

\u53ea\u6709[zh\u01d0y\u01d2u]\u2026\u6ca1\u6709[m\u00e9i y\u01d2u]\u2026<\/h4>\n

You can find just about anything on Taobao. In Chinese, there is a common grammar pattern we can use to express this by saying \u201cthe only limit is what you can think of, there’s not limit to what you can buy\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n

This \u53ea\u6709..\u6ca1\u6709 structure can be used in other contexts as well. For example:<\/p>\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n

Now let’s return to the topic of Taobao and have a look at some interesting things that have been on sale there over the years. Some of these items have since been prohibited, so you may not be able to find all of them on Taobao anymore.<\/p>\n

Selling IQ \u5356IQ[m\u00e0i IQ]<\/h4>\n

\"IQ<\/p>\n

IQ is for sale for only 0.2 yuan. What you actually receive is a picture with the text \u201cIQ\u201d, or one of Einstein, which is sent to your phone together with a little funny story. You can buy it for yourself or for your friends. These pictures are mostly bought by students, and some say that after purchasing this IQ they felt more intelligent and did not get tired during exams.<\/p>\n

You can read more about IQ on Taobao with the Du Chinese app<\/a>, in our lesson \u201cIQ for sale on Taobao\u201d.<\/p>\n

Human Breast Milk Soap \u4eba\u5976\u9999\u7682 [r\u00e9n n\u01cei xi\u0101ng z\u00e0o]<\/h4>\n

\"Human<\/p>\n

Yes, it’s exactly what it says. It’s soap made from human breast milk. One mother who sells these soaps says she used to pour all the milk down the drain, but since it seemed wasteful she decided to use the milk to make soap instead. These soaps are very soft, so they can be used by both adults and children. It is actually quite popular on Taobao. <\/p>\n

Boyfriend\/Girlfriend For Rent \u51fa\u79df\u7537\/\u5973\u670b\u53cb [ch\u016b z\u016b n\u00e1n\/n\u01da p\u00e9ngyou]<\/h4>\n

\"Rental<\/p>\n

If you were to ask young Chinese singles of today what they fear the most, the majority would undoubtedly respond: being pressured to marry by their parents.
\nIn China, no matter if you’re a boy or a girl, basically everyone over 25 and still unmarried has experienced being pressured about marriage by their parents. To avoid being forced into marriage, some even go as far as to rent a temporary boyfriend\/girlfriend to come with them home during the holidays. With this rental partner, they make their parents believe they have are already set for marriage to avoid awkward conversations.<\/p>\n

You can rent people for other situations as well, but the price depends on the kind of service you want. Here are some examples of common prices:<\/p>\n