As the name suggests, Singles' Day began as a day for single people - apparently a chance to celebrate for the singletons, or "bare sticks", symbolised by the four number ones in the date of 11 November - 11/11.

　　顾名思义，光棍节是一个献给单身者的节日——显然这是一个单身者，或称“光棍”相互庆贺的日子，11月11日这个日期的四个数字就象征着光棍们。

　　But in 2009 the online retail firm Alibaba adopted the day to promote a massive online shopping sale. It said the date was easy to remember, and conveniently placed in a consumer spending lull between National Day and Chinese New Year holiday.

　　然而在2009年事情发生了变化，在线零售公司阿里巴巴开始利用这个日子举行大型的网购促销活动。据说这个日期很容易被人们记住，而且恰好又正处在国庆黄金周和中国新年假期之间的销售淡季，正好可以刺激销售。

　　Singles' Day rapidly became a hit. Other online retailers began cashing in, and Alibaba copyrighted the term "Double 11".

　　光棍节很快就成为热门话题，其他的在线零售商也开始从中分羹，阿里巴巴为“双十一”这个称谓申请了版权。

　　It says that since 2009, year-on-year sales of Alibaba growth has averaged 640%.

　　据说自2009年来，该公司的营业额的年比增长率平均高达640%。

　　And with a total population of 1.3 billion people, there's still plenty of room for growth.But Alibaba also has global aspirations. It says more than 200 overseas merchants from more than 20 countries had confirmed participation in its Singles' Day sales this year, with multinational brands taking part in the "11.11 shopping festival" for the first time.

　　中国有13亿人口，网购营业额还有充足的上升空间。不过阿里巴巴可是有国际野心的哟。据称已经有来自全球20多个国家超过200个海外电商承诺参加今年双十一的促销活动，许多品牌是第一次参与“双十一狂欢节”。

　　Even in China, however, Singles' Day has begun to draw some criticism.

　　不过，即使就在中国，双十一也已经开始引起了不少质疑之声。

　　Another user complained: "I don't know why people are so excited about the 'Double 11'. It's meaningless as they all hike prices before offering a discount."

　　还有网友吐槽道：“我不明白人们为什么对‘双十一’如此热切，这一点意义也没有，因为所有的电商都是先把价格暴涨起来，再提供优惠折扣的。

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（编辑：何莹莹）