Category: News Vocabulary

鸵鸟(tuó niǎo) ostrich Usage: “鸵鸟”是非洲一种体形巨大、不会飞但奔跑得很快的鸟，据说鸵鸟遇到危险的时候，就把头埋到沙子里，以为这样别人就看不见自己了，其实自己屁股露在外面，更加引人注目。所以鸵鸟也带有逃避困难的比喻义。
The ostrich is a large African bird that cannot fly but does run fast. It is said that when an ostrich encounters danger, it will bury its head into the sand because it believes that, by doing so, it cannot be found. But its rear end is still in plain sight, which makes it even more eye-catching. As such, the ostrich is a metaphor for escaping during times of difficulty.

白骨精 (Báigǔjīng) White Bone Demon Usage： “白骨精”有两种含义，传统的解释是专指《西游记》中的白骨妖精。现代有了另外一种解释，白骨精成了白领、骨干、精英的缩写，专指那些拥有高学历、高收入、高层次的“三高女性”。
“白骨精” has two explanations. The traditional meaning refers to the “bones monster” who appears in the novel Journey to the West. In modern society, there is another meaning, which refers to white-collar workers, specifically women with high levels of education, high incomes, and high status.

金饭碗 (jīn fànwǎn) golden bowl; a well-paid occupation Usage: “金饭碗”在古代中国，是指皇帝吃饭时用的碗，后引申为稳定、体面、待遇优厚的工作，如国家机关工作人员。
“金饭碗” was the golden rice bowl used by the emperor in ancient China. Now, it means a stable, honorable, and well-paid occupation, such as a civil servant.

冷笑话 (lěng xiàohuà) sick jokes; cold humor
usage: 冷笑话”是指由于某些原因导致一个笑话不能使人发笑。但并不是所有的冷笑话都难以发笑，有时不好笑正是该笑话的笑点。
A “冷笑话” is when, due to whatever reason, a joke does not elicit laughter. But this does not mean all “冷笑话” do not make people laugh. Sometimes, the fact that the joke is unfunny is the punchline.

一把手 (yī（yì）bǎ shǒu)partner, good hand, chief Usage: “一把手”有三层意思：第一，参加活动的一员；第二，擅长于做某事的人；第三，单位或组织中的最高领导者。值得注意的是，前两种意思的读音为“yìbǎ shǒu”。
“一把手” has three meanings: first, a partner of an activity; second, someone who is good at something; third, the head of an organization. It is important to note that the first two meanings are pronounced as “yì bǎ shǒu.”

围观 (wéiguān) onlookers Usage: “围观”是网络用语，是说如果某人做出非常醒目的行为就有可能导致很多人观看。也有指中国人有围观特别事物的癖好。多见于论坛和微博中。
“围观” is a phrase from the internet. It means that when someone does something very eye-catching, it may resut in others watching. It also refers to the habit of Chinese people who like to observe special things. It is commonly used in forums and Weibo.

真倒霉 (zhēn dǎoméi) what bad luck Usage: “真倒霉”，口语，感叹运气非常不好，一般用来表达当事人的心情。可以放在句首或者句中。
“真倒霉” is a colloquial exclamation made when bad luck arises. It is usually used to express one’s mood. It can appear at the beginning or in the middle of a sentence.

正太 (zhèng tài) shota “正太”一词起源于日本，标准的正太是指12岁的短发东方男孩，现在普遍指年纪小、没有胡子，很可爱、很萌的男孩子。严格来说西方男孩子不能称之为正太。
“正太,” a word that comes from Japanese, refers toAsian boys with short hair, approximately age 12. Now it commonly refers to cute and young boys without facial hair. Strictly speaking, white boys cannot be called “正太”.

Statistics indicate that the number of "sheng nv" in Beijing alone has surpassed 500,000. Even South Korean media report that China has embraced what they call the "Golden Miss" era.

Among the media discussions, some are trying to determine the reasons for the dilemma that these women face. Others are busy trying to help the "sheng nv" find their Mr. Right. Yet others are questioning whether this phenomenon shows an improvement in Chinese society or indicates a social problem.

Still, no one has considered whether the concept of "sheng nv" itself is tenable. The connotative logic of "sheng nv" is that women should get married by a certain age, and if they are not, then they are considered abnormal women who are "leftover."

It is a traditional custom dating back thousands of years in China that young people, especially women, should get married by a certain age. The tradition faded in the twentieth century as more people chose to get married later in life compared with their parents' or grandparents' generations.

But when the "sheng nv" phenomenon is no longer a choice for individuals but for a large group of women, then one may be more inclined to consider the choice a normal one. As society continues to develop, the so-called "suitable age" for marriage will also change accordingly.

The delaying of first marriages for men and women has become an international phenomenon. In Europe and the United States, men marry at an average age of 30, while women marry at 28.

Some people say many western couples live together before marriage so it is natural for them to get married when they are in their thirties or older.

One reason for this change is the prolonging of one's education in modern times. The other reason is that the increasing cost of living has forced people to create a family after having certain economic basics.

Therefore, international standards for the age one usually gets married are flexible and changing all the time. People can choose to get married in their twenties or remain single into their thirties and beyond.

When finding a boyfriend or girlfriend and getting married are purely individual choices, one can make the decision according to their preferences, psychological expectations and life plans. No one has to suffer from the societal and familial pressure of getting married by a certain age.

But the situation is the total opposite in China where women are treated unfairly in this regard. One the one hand, Chinese women work hard to further their education to remain competitive in the job market. When they receive a doctoral degree, for example, they are usually about 30 years old. If they are still unmarried, people start to call them "sheng nv."

On the other hand, most Chinese people still adhere to the traditional criteria of a certain marital age, and they define these well-educated single women as "leftovers." But such a term is not proper and has come about as a result of people's cultural conceptions lagging far behind societal changes.

Another unfair aspect for these women is that there are double standards for men and women in China. Census data indicate that 33.31 million more men than women were born between 1980 and 2000. But the so-called "leftover women" suffer greater pressure than these "leftover men."

An undated online survey cited in a column by sociologist Jin Yihong on the Jiangsu-based Xinhua Daily indicates that the ideal age for men to get married is after 30. But for women who are over 25, it will become harder for them to find a suitable husband. Ninety percent of female netizens in the survey said they believed men in their thirties were their ideal choices for marriage.

In reality, Chinese society is more tolerant of men than women. They give the beautiful name "Diamond Wang Lao Wu" to those single men who are 35 years of age or older.

For Chinese women, the more successful they are, the harder it is for them to find a partner. No matter how outstanding and successful they become, they will be described as "leftovers."

When the media create new words and concepts, they seem not to consider that they may cause mental strife for certain groups of people. By creating and using the term "sheng nv," they have placed a great deal of pressure on not only unmarried women in their late twenties and thirties, but also their parents.

When people read news reports about "parents blind dating," they cannot deny that social pressure has influenced at least two generations. One unmarried woman with a master's degree was quoted in the article as saying that while her internal spiritual strength is strong enough to resist external teasing and exclusion, she is not strong enough to survive filial pressure from her parents to get married.

Suppose all women were to abandon their dreams of getting advanced academic degrees to get married, would they automatically live happy lives? So why shouldn't they live a lifestyle that they really want and wait until they meet the right person at the right time? If they are the best they can be, they will attract suitable men, and they can let others say whatever they like.

Being single is an individual choice, and a civilized society should be more tolerant of and give more freedom to people to choose their own lifestyles. The concept of "sheng nv" is not only a sign of people's outdated notions but also indicates that Chinese society is not tolerant and respectful of diverse individual lifestyle choices.