小混混（xiao3hun4hun4）
dawdling punk
This Chinese term is derogative. It refers to teenagers or young people who do nothing but hang around.
白骨精（bai2gu3jing1）
office elite
This is the name of a siren in the famous Chinese novel “Journey to the West.” But, today it is also used as a new title for white-collar office workers who excel in their career. Instead […]
Archive for the 'Buzzwords' Category
消费税（xiao1fei4shui4）
excise tax
The nation hopes the excise tax it started on April 1 to levy on cars, as well as other luxury products, will control the number of sedans on the roads as part of its effort to cut energy use and rein in air pollution.
全武行（quan2wu3hang2）
acrobatic fighting, scuffle
The term originally means the acrobatic fighting in traditional […]
偷着胖 （tou1zhepang4）
unnoticeably fat, a hidden fatty
Those who don’t look fat with clothes on, but are actually quite plump are called a hidden fatty in northern China. It takes great efforts to be secret about one’s subcutaneous fat these days when revealing clothing is in, especially for young women.
触电（chu4dian4）
flick appearance, thrill
The term was first used to […]
草根艺人（cao3gen1yi4ren2）
mudsill artiste
The past few years have seen quite a few self-taught artistes, particularly stand-up comedians, around the country rise to the national fame. The Chinese term translates literally “artiste from the grassroots.” Although they practice a “low” art form, they are getting high ratings and laughs.
网络电话 (wang3luo4dian4hua4)
VoIP
VoIP, or Voice over Internet Protocol, is a method […]
踏青 （ta4qing1）
spring outing
The Chinese term vividly depicts one who merrily goes on a trip in spring. Ta means “step on” or “walk by,” while “qing” means the greenness of grass. For hundreds of years, taqing has been associated with the tomb sweeping activities around the Qingming (Clear and Bright) Festival, which falls on April 5.
乐活族 […]
八荣八耻 （ba1rong2ba1chi3）
Eight Do’s and Don’t’s
Chinese President Hu Jintao recently called on the whole nation and particularly young people to adopt the “socialist concept of honor and disgrace,” also known as “Eight Do’s and Don’t’s.” The list reads: “Love, do not harm the motherland; Serve, don’t disserve the people; Uphold science; don’t be ignorant and unenlightened; […]
瘦身 (shou4shen1)
slimming, streamlining
The term of getting slimmer has been generalized to mean reducing the size of almost anything. It could be streamlining government departments, shrinking investment plans or even reducing the weight of school kids’ satchels.
扫街 (sao3jie1)
street sweeping
Street sweeping does not just mean to clean the street any more. Now it can be used to […]
大跌眼镜(da4die1yan3jing1)
glasses dropper
This Chinese term vividly describes a situation where you’re so stunned by something that the glasses fall from the bridge of your nose. Of course, your glasses-dropping could also be caused by the fact that your idea or prediction about something is proved to be wrong as wrong could ever be.
放鸽子(fang4ge1zi)
stand up, no-show
This Chinese […]
夫妻相 (fu1qi1xiang4)
husband-wife looks
In the west, people say if a couple live together long enough, the husband and wife tend to resemble each other and even become look-alike. In China, many believe that the marriage will last longer between a man and a woman who share some matching or similar facial features. So, the husband-wife looks […]
反式脂肪 (fan3shi4 zhi1fang2)
trans fat
Trans fat, also known as trans fatty acid, is made through the chemical process of hydrogenation of oils. It has been making headlines as consumers become aware that the artery-clogging fat is lurking in many food products, including fried fast food.
醋溜族 (cu4liu1zu2)
trendy clan
A group of metropolitan youth is happily caught in the […]
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