‘捡漏’ literally means ‘to pick up a leak,’ but it’s an idiom describing the act of discovering and buying something valuable at a surprisingly low price—often because the seller underestimated its worth. The character 捡 (jiǎn) means ‘to pick up’ or ‘to collect,’ while 漏 (lòu) originally refers to ‘leak’ or ‘oversight,’ here implying something that slipped through the cracks—like an undervalued antique at a flea market or a discounted designer item in a clearance sale.

This term is commonly used in informal, conversational Chinese, especially when talking about shopping, antiques, secondhand markets, or online deals. It carries a sense of luck, sharp observation, and savvy judgment—not just bargains, but *undiscovered* bargains. While it can be used humorously or self-deprecatingly (e.g., ‘I didn’t find treasure—I just got lucky’), it always suggests the buyer recognized value others missed.