Category: Chinese Words&Phrases

麦兜族(mài dōu zú)
McDull clan
It refers to those young people in large cities who work hard, stand on their own feet instead of relying on family connections for career success and live a simple but contented life. The expression is coined after McDull, a cartoon pig popular in Hong Kong.

乌魂族(wū hún zú)
weary-eyed white-collars
White-collar workers who always look wilted at work because they are short of sleep after staying up late playing games or partying.

CC族(C C zú)
cultural creatives
The term was coined by sociologist Paul H. Ray and psychologist Sherry Ruth Anderson in their book "The Cultural Creatives: How 50 Million People Are Changing the World" to describe a large segment in the Western world who pursue inner happiness and a sustainable environment, while disapproving of material pleasures. They try to create a new cultural lifestyle by banking on their personal value. The CC population, ranging in age from 25 to 70, includes writers, artists, musicians and other professionals.

情绪聚集(qíng xù jù jí)
emotion congregation
The phenomenon of netizens or microblog users who tend to repost or respond to articles that express the feelings they share.

寡欲手机(guǎ yù shǒu jī)
simplistic cellphone
A mobile phone with only simple functions such as text messages and calls. It is reported that some people who find themselves addicted to microblogging and other social networking on a smartphone have turned to simple phones to break the habit.
 

辣度等级(là dù děng jí)
spice rating
The China Condiment Industrial Association has worked out its first draft on a national standard for chili sauces by classifying them into four levels according to their different amount of capsaicin. Producers are required to label the rating on the packaging for the convenience of shoppers with varying heat preferences.

拽人名(zhuǎi rén míng)
name dropping
People who tend to mention significant institutions or celebrities all the time in their daily conversations. They may achieve a sense of superiority when speaking of celebrities in a rather intimate way as if the famous names were their neighbors or friends.

养鱼执法(yǎng yú zhí fǎ)
connive-and-catch law enforcement
Some Chinese law enforcement officials turn a blind eye to an illegal activity, instead of nipping it in the bud, until it develops into a more severe one so they can issue a greater punishment to the violator. This is just like running a fish farm: to harvest the fish only when it grows big enough.

僵尸粉丝(jiāng shī fěn sī)
zombie fans
It refers to those microblog accounts that exist only in name but never respond to or repost postings. It is said that these accounts are created only to boost a company or a person’s popularity. 

微简历(wēi jiǎn lì)
microblog CV
As microblogs are gaining fast popularity, some people have turned to them for job-hunting opportunities, though most do so with tongue in cheek.

死飞(sǐ fēi)
fixed-gear
A kind of bicycle that don't have a freewheel, so it cannot coast – the pedals are always in motion when the bicycle is moving.

暴力行善(bào lì xíng shàn)
violent charitable act
Last month animal lovers stopped a truckfull of dogs destined for dinner tables and forced the owner to sell the canines to them on a Beijing highway. Though the aim was charitable and laudable, some people said animal lovers had no right to hijack vehicles.

总队长(zǒng duì zhāng)
captain pioneer 
A photo of 13-year-old schoolboy Huang Yibo, better-known as the deputy director of the all-Wuhan city’s Young Pioneers, a mass youth organization for children in China, posing with his badge of five red bars has been hot online. Netizens say he sets a “standard” for a future government official and could even be a comic superhero, Captain Pioneer.

番茄工作法(fān qié gōng zuò fǎ)
pomodoro technique
A time management method developed by Francesco Cirillo. The technique uses a real timer or a software timer to create 25-minute work segments called “pomodori” (the Italian word for tomato), separated by five-minute breaks. 

冷指(lěng zhǐ)
cold finger 
Similar to turning a cold shoulder, giving a cold finger is to ignore someone’s text or microblog message — usually when that comment is pointless or uncalled-for.

拆家(chāi jiā)
middleman 
The Cantonese word, literally meaning “brokers” in Chinese, refers to distributors between manufacturers and retailers, especially drug dealers. The recent drug scandal involving Taiwan actor Sun Xing revealed that there might be several starlet drug dealers in domestic showbiz.

财金智能(cǎi  jīn zhì néng)
finlit
This is a new abbreviation of the expression “financial literacy,” which means the knowledge and understanding of financial language and concepts, especially when this helps one make important decisions about their financial situation.
 

微博控(wēi bó kòng) twuilt Borrowed from the English buzzword, a portmanteau of twitter and guilt, describing the guilty feeling you have when you haven't posted a twitter comment online recently.

隐性涨价(yǐn xìng zhǎng jià) hidden price hike Many producers of daily necessities have shrunk the contents of their products while keeping the same retail prices. The price hike is virtually hidden to casual shoppers.

孕傻(yùn shǎ) pregnancy stupidity It is believed that women during pregnancy will suffer deterioration of cognition capability and memory because of hormone changes. However, it does return after birth.