Meaning:

    “拼” is short for “拼凑,” which means to “piece together,” and “客” literally means “guest,” which is simply used to refer to a kind of person by netizens. These are people who “piece together” a wholesale order for the goods and services so that they can enjoy the competitive price. These people, who don’t know each other in real life, form groups via the Internet.

    Example:

    A: 你坐火车回家吗？

    Nǐ zuò huǒchē huíjiā ma?

    Did you take the train to return home?

    B: 不是，我在网上找到开车回家的同乡拼车。

    Búshì, wǒ zài wǎngshàng zhǎodào kāichē huíjiā de tóngxiāng pīnchē。

    No. I found someone on the Internet who was driving back to our hometown and got a paid ride.

    A: 你给父母带了什么礼物？

    Nǐ gěi fùmǔ dài le shénme lǐwù?

    What gifts did you buy for your parents?

    B: 我给他们买了保健品，网上团购的。

    Wǒ gěi tāmen mǎi le bǎojiànpǐn, wǎngshàng tuángòu de。

    I bought them health-boosting products by joining a wholesale order on the Internet.

    A: 你真是个拼客。

    Nǐ zhēn shì ge pīnkè。

    You are a real group activity partaker.