Category: Chinese Words&Phrases

假自闭(jiǎ zì bì)
pseud-autism
Some office workers show symptoms of autism at home after a hard day or week’s work, such as reluctance to communicate and socialize with others and a tendency to sleep in or indulge in watching TV or surfing the Internet. But psychotherapists say these are fake autistic symptoms and can be cured by joining outdoor activities and confiding in close friends.
 
亲情AA制(qīn qíng AA zhì)
go home, go dutch
Many young couples, both from one-child families, in China, especially those who work far away from their hometowns, face the hard choice before the Spring Festival of choosing whose parents to stay with during the festival that values family reunion. Some couples agree that they will each visit his or her parents separately.

网堡(wǎng bǎo)
internest
The word is a combination of “internet” and “nest,” referring to blankets, pillows, duvets and comfy objects a nethead gathers in preparation for spending a long time on the internet. Another meaning is the place where new internet connections are born.

刻格薄(kè gé bó)
meany, acrid, sharp-tongued
The term refers jokingly to those meanies who often throw harsh words or behave unkindly towards others. The term is pronounced the same as KGB, the former national security agency of the Soviet Union, in Chinese.

事实婚姻(shì shí hūn yīn)
de facto marriage
The term refers to a certain marriage state in which a couple lives together in conjugal relations without a wedding registration and regardless of whether a ceremony was held or not. Such marriage is illegal in a stricter sense.

阴滋病(yīn zī bìng)
HIV-negative AIDS disease
A Hong Kong-based newspaper reported that some people with AIDS-like symptoms without detectable evidence of infection with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, claimed to have caught an unknown "HIV-negative AIDS disease." The Ministry of Health dismissed the allegation, adding that so-called patients may be suffering from a fear of getting AIDS.

盐荒子孙(yán huāng zǐ sūn)
panicked salt buyers
The crowds of Chinese who rushed to buy salt in the belief it would protect them from radiation from last month's Japanese nuclear plant crisis that might reach China and cause health problems.

健美猪(jiàn měi zhū)
lean-meat pig
Pigs that are fed illegal additive clenbuterol, also known as "lean meat powder," to speed up muscle building and lower the fat content for better sales. Excessive consumption of clenbuterol-tainted pork can lead to health problems. The term spread widely after the additive was found in products from China's largest meat processor last month.

云服务(yún fú wù)
iCloud
ICloud is the latest branding of Apple's cloud computing services, which has previously been branded as iTools in 2000, Mac in 2002, and MobileMe in 2008. The cloud-based system allows users to store music, photos, applications, documents, Safari and Internet Explorer bookmarks, reminders, notes, iBooks and contacts, as well as serving as a platform for Apple's email servers and calendars.

501军团(501 jūn tuán)
501st Legion
The 501st Legion is an international fan-based organization dedicated to the construction and wearing of replica costumes of various characters from the Star Wars universe. Founded by Albin Johnson in America in 1997, the group now boasts more than 5,000 active members in 40 countries. The 501st Legion China is formed by Song Yi-Fan and Zhang Fan (with their serial numbers TK2988 and TK9866 respectively) in 2008.

粗粮饮食(cū liáng yǐn shí)
macrobiotic diet
A macrobiotic diet is a dietary regimen similar to a vegetarian one. People who follow this diet eat grains as a staple food and avoid animal and dairy products. They also eat fermented products like tofu and vegetables. It was introduced from Japan and can help the human body dispose of internal bad elements and heal chronic diseases, and it now has become very popular in China.

奈特尔家庭(nài tè ěr jiā tíng)
Nettel family
Nettel (Not Enough Time To Enjoy Life) family is a term commonly seen in China that originated in Australia. It refers to families who strive for accumulated wealth at the expense of a balanced and relaxing life with family members against the backdrop of soaring living costs, high work pressure and deteriorating economic conditions. The number of Nettel families is on the rise.

职场木乃伊(zhí chǎng mù nǎi yī)
professional Zombie
It refers to employees who used to be entrepreneurial, passionate and creative but now are spiritless and numb with incompetent managers or dreary routine jobs.