บล็อก

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.

fans "粉丝" (fěn sī)  is a common food in China. It is made from green beans and sweet potato starch and looks like thin noodles. However, the "粉丝" on the lips of today's youth are not edible. Originally it is a transliteration of the English word "fans" which refer to people who are infatuated by someone or something. In other words, "fans" refer to those who are crazy about somebody or something and go after them. For example, "NBA粉丝" means "NBA fans", and "Yao Ming's 粉丝" and "Messi's 粉丝" refer to followers of Yao Ming and Messi respectively. Are you a 粉丝(fěn sī)? Of whom? Share with us!

Zhuō pā zú, shì zhǐ pā zài bàngōng zhuō shàng wǔshuì de shàngbānzú. Zhuō pā zú de chūxiàn, zhǔyào shì yóuyú dānwèi quēfá shèshī, chángqí pā zài zhuō shàng wǔxiū, huì zàochéng jǐngchuí bìng děng wēihài.
桌趴族是指趴在办公桌上午睡的上班族。桌趴族的出现,主要是由于单位缺乏午休设施，长期趴在桌上午休，会造成颈椎病等危害。
'Desk lying group': this phrase mainly refers to employees who rest by lying at their deks during their lunch break because their company lacks resting facilities. Experts say that resting bent over desks for long periods of time may lead to cervical vertebra disease.

password We use passwords 密码 (mì mǎ) every day: opening e-mail, shopping online, posting blog, etc. But do you know if your password is safe? Well, password management app maker SplashData has revealed this year's worst passwords with 'password' and '123456' taking the top two slots. Other bad passwords were: 111111, Iloveyou, abc123, 123123, monkey…. Hackers didn't have work hard to gain access. Do you always use the same password for many accounts? Then maybe it’s time for you to change to a safer password. Do you have good method to remember those complex passwords? Share with us !

hold住(hold zhù) can hold Usage: "HOLD住"来源于香港粤语和英语混合用法，是指保持目前状态，有保持住、控制住的意思。
“HOLD住” comes from the mixing of Cantonese and English in Hong Kong. It means to maintain the current status, to hold fast, and to control.

畅销书(chàngxiāoshū) bestseller Usage: “畅销书”一词最初起源于美国，指在一个时代，或者一个时间段，销售量大、非常受欢迎的书。 畅销书的特点是符合当时人的阅读口味，但不一定是好书。
The term “畅销书” initially came from the United States. It means a book that was very popular for a period of time with large sales volume. What characterizes a “畅销书” is that it suits the taste of its readers, but that does not necessarily make it a good book.

按理说 (àn lǐ shuō) according to common sense Usage: “按理说”指按照大家公认的基本知识来判断或者做某件事情。这个“理”指的是公认的道理、常识。
“按理说” means to judge or do something according to basic understandings. The “理” refers to common knowledge or logic.