Category: News Vocabulary

中国梦 (Zhōngguó mèng) the Chinese Dream
Usage: 中国梦”是实现国家富强、民族振兴、人民幸福的伟大梦想,是13亿中国人的共同理想信念，是凝聚全民族全社会、凝聚全体中华儿女的信仰。“中国梦” is a grand dream that the Chinese nation can achieve national prosperity, rejuvenation, and happiness for the people. It is the common ideal and conviction of 1.3 billion Chinese and it is a belief that has united the whole nation, the whole society, and all Chinese people.

大跌眼镜 (dàdiē yǎnjìng) the glasses fell off in surprise Usage:

死党(sǐdǎng) sidekick, best friend Usage: 在中国古代，“死党”是为了某人或组织竭尽全力甚至付出生命的人。到如今，“死党”的意思是跟你关系很好，可以无话不谈，无所顾忌、相互依靠、亲密无间的朋友。In ancient China，“死党” was a person who would spare no effort and even sacrifice his life for another person or group. Today, “死党” means your close friends, ones from whom you keep no secrets and towards whom you have no misgivings. These are friends who can rely on each other.

蚁族(yǐzú) ant tribe Usage: “蚁族”指的是毕业后无法找到工作或工作收入很低而聚居在城郊的大学生。他们的群体非常庞大，像蚂蚁般过着群居生活。“蚁族” is a word that describes low-income or unemployed college graduates. After finishing school, they cannot find work, or their salaries are low, and they move to the city outskirts. Their numbers are large, and they live in groups like ants.

实名制 (shímíng zhì) real-name system Usage: “实名制” 是一项新兴的制度，指在办理某项业务时需要提供有效的能证明个人身份的证件或资料。在中国，储蓄、上网、购买火车票等都实施了实名制。“实名制” is a new type of system in which a person must provide unexpired identification or other materials when engaged in business activities. In China, depositing money, using the internet, buying train tickets, and so on are now using real-name systems.

如意算盘 (rúyì suànpán) calculations based on wishful thinking Usage:

旱鸭子 (hàn yāzi) a landlubber; non-swimmer Usage: “旱鸭子”是指从来不下水,只在陆地上饲养的鸭子。鸭子大都可以在水里生活并且会游泳的，所以旱鸭子用来比喻不会游泳的人。"旱鸭子(hàn yāzi)" refers to the ducks which are raised on land and never swim. Almost all the ducks can live in water and can swim, so "旱鸭子" is a metaphor for people who can’t swim.

扎眼 (zhāyǎn)offending to the eye; conspicuous Usage: “扎眼”是说某样东西或某种行为让人看了不舒服，就好像这样东西或行为刺痛了看的人的眼睛一样。“扎眼”也用来形容与周围事物不同，能引起人们注意的事物。“扎眼(zhāyǎn)” means seeing something or some actions makes people uncomfortable as if the thing or the behavior hurts their eyes. It is also used to describe something which is very different from the surroundings and thus seems conspicuous.

庙会 (miàohuì) temple fair Usage: “庙会”是在寺庙里面或附近的聚会活动，一般在中国传统节日或者规定的日子举行。人们在庙会上常进行祭神、娱乐和购物等活动。"庙会(miàohuì)" means the activity held in or near a temple, usually on a traditional festival or specific day in China. People often offer sacrifice to gods, give folk performances or shop in a temple fair.

耍大牌 (shuǎ dàpái) put on airs; be a poser Usage: “耍大牌”有骄傲自大的意思，是指人由于自以为了不起而做出的某种自以为是的行为，如不礼貌、不遵守公共规则等，常用来形容明星人物自以为了不起，看不起别人。"耍大牌(shuǎ dàpái)" means someone is swelled with pride because he thinks he is important and commits some bad behaviors accordingly, such as being impolite or breaking the public rules. The word is often used to describe those celebrities who feel self-important and look down upon others.