Singles' Day (Double 11) in Chinese 双十一
shuāngshíyī
Double 11 (Singles' Day) in Chinese is 双十一 (shuāng shí yī).
Also searched for as: Double 11, 11.11, Singles Day sale, Double Eleven, Guanggun Jie.
China's biggest shopping day of the year. 15 words and phrases for Singles' Day (Double 11) in Mandarin Chinese, with pinyin and English. Open it in the app to hear each word, tick off the ones you know and turn them into flashcards.
Singles' Day in Chinese is 光棍节 (guāng gùn jié), but these days it's far better known as 双十一 (shuāng shí yī), "Double 11", the 11 November online shopping festival. Its vocabulary is a world of its own: 预售 (yù shòu) pre-sales, 满减 (mǎn jiǎn) deals that tempt you to 凑单 (còu dān), and the jokey 剁手 (duò shǒu), what shoppers threaten to do to their own hands after overspending.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 双十一 | shuāng shí yī | Double 11; Singles' Day (11 November) |
| 光棍节 | guāng gùn jié | Singles' Day (lit. bachelors' day) |
| 预售 | yù shòu | pre-sale |
| 定金 | dìng jīn | deposit |
| 尾款 | wěi kuǎn | final payment; balance |
| 满减 | mǎn jiǎn | money off when you spend over a set amount |
| 凑单 | còu dān | to add items to reach a discount threshold |
| 剁手 | duò shǒu | to overspend online (lit. to chop off one's hands) |
| 购物车 | gòu wù chē | shopping basket (online); cart |
| 加购 | jiā gòu | to add to basket |
| 抢购 | qiǎng gòu | to rush to buy; panic-buy |
| 优惠券 | yōu huì quàn | coupon; voucher |
| 快递 | kuài dì | parcel; delivery |
| 直播带货 | zhí bō dài huò | livestream selling |
| 吃土 | chī tǔ | to be broke (lit. to eat dirt) |
Usage tips
- The date 11.11 gave rise to the name 光棍节: the four ones look like 光棍 (guāng gùn), bare sticks, which is slang for single men; it began as a student joke before turning into a shopping event.
- 满减 (mǎn jiǎn) offers are written like 满300减50 (mǎn sān bǎi jiǎn wǔ shí), "spend 300, get 50 off", while 打八折 (dǎ bā zhé) means you pay 80%, i.e. 20% off.
- 剁手 (duò shǒu) and 吃土 (chī tǔ) are self-mocking internet slang; 我又剁手了 is a natural thing to say after a spree, but neither belongs in formal writing.
Common mistakes
- Treating 定金 (dìng jīn) and 订金 (dìng jīn) as the same → they sound identical, but a 定金 is usually lost if you don't pay the balance, whereas an 订金 can normally be refunded.
- Translating "Singles' Day" word for word as 单身日 → the established names are 光棍节 (guāng gùn jié) and 双十一 (shuāng shí yī).
Mini dialogue
- A双十一你买什么了？Shuāng shí yī nǐ mǎi shén me le?What did you buy for Double 11?
- B别提了，购物车里有三十多件东西。Bié tí le, gòu wù chē li yǒu sān shí duō jiàn dōng xi.Don't ask. There are over thirty things in my basket.
- A这么多？是不是为了凑单？Zhè me duō? Shì bù shì wèi le còu dān?That many? Was it to hit the discount threshold?
- B对，满减太划算了。付完尾款我就只能吃土了。Duì, mǎn jiǎn tài huá suàn le. Fù wán wěi kuǎn wǒ jiù zhǐ néng chī tǔ le.Yes, the spend-and-save deals were too good. Once I've paid the balance I'll be completely broke.
- A哈哈，那你真该剁手了！Hā ha, nà nǐ zhēn gāi duò shǒu le!Ha, you really need to chop your hands off!
Example sentences
- 今年双十一你买什么了？What did you buy this Double 11?
- 十一月十一号是光棍节。11 November is Singles' Day.
- 这件羽绒服现在是预售。This down jacket is on pre-sale at the moment.
- 我先付了五十块定金。I paid a fifty-yuan deposit first.
- 今晚八点开始付尾款。You can pay the balance from 8 tonight.
- 这个满减活动挺划算的。This spend-and-save offer is a good deal.
- 为了凑单，我又买了一包纸巾。I bought a pack of tissues just to hit the threshold.
- 买了这么多，我真该剁手了！I've bought so much, I really need to chop my hands off!
- 我的购物车已经满了。My basket is already full.
- 先加购，等双十一再付款。Add it to your basket now and pay on Double 11.
- 零点大家都在抢购。At midnight everyone's rushing to buy.
- 付款前记得先领优惠券。Remember to grab the coupons before you pay.
- 这几天快递特别慢。Deliveries are really slow these days.
- 她每天晚上都看直播带货。She watches livestream sales every night.
- 双十一以后我只能吃土了。After Double 11 I'll be so broke I'll be eating dirt.
Practise speaking
Ready to use these words? The Singles' Day (Double 11) speaking island has 8 everyday questions about Singles' Day (Double 11) to prepare your own answers to.