OMG! Chinese Buzzwords! (24)
骂山门(mà shān mén)
Shout abuses in public This phrase contains two terms, "scolding" and "mountain gate." The "mountain gate" refers to the entrance to temples or monasteries which are located on steep mountains.
Chinese idioms:画蛇添足—— Draw A Snake and Add Feet
chǔɡuó yǒuyíɡe ɡuānyuán zàichūntiān jìɡuòle zǔzōnɡ zhīhòu楚国有一个官员,在春天祭过了祖宗之后,
OMG! Chinese Buzzwords! (23)
盲游(máng yóu)
blind tour
This refers to travelers who deliberately refrain from researching their holiday destinations before setting out. The group simply enjoys wandering “blindly,” embracing the freedom of life and seeking unknown challenges on the way.
冷妈(lěng mā)
cool mother
Different from traditional Chinese parents who tend to spoil their children, “cool mothers” have emerged as a new model of family education. They act calmly toward their children’s failure or heartbreaks, and teach their children how to face the truths and sometimes cruelty of real life.
里程焦虑(lǐ chéng jiāo lǜ)
range anxiety
The fear that your all-electric vehicle might run out of power before reaching your destination, is thought to be one reason that deters prospective electric vehicle buyers.
Chinese idioms:刻舟求剑Marking his mark
cónɡqián yíɡe chǔɡuórén zuòchuán ɡuòhéshí bùxiǎoxīn bǎtādejiàn diàorùle shuǐzhōnɡ从前,一个楚国人在坐船过河时,不小心把他的剑掉入了水中。
OMG! Chinese Buzzwords! (22)
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.
Chinese idioms:朝三暮四——Three at Dawn and Four at Dusk
cónɡqián zàisònɡɡuó yǒuyíɡe yǎnɡ hóuzi derén从前,在宋国有一个养猴子的人。
Chinese idioms:自相矛盾——His Spear Against Shield
cónɡqián yǒuyíɡe mài máohédùnde chǔɡuórén从前,有一个卖矛和盾的楚国人。
OMG! Chinese Buzzwords! (21)
奉子成婚(fèng zǐ chéng hūn)
shotgun marriage/wedding
A marriage necessitated by an unplanned pregnancy. It is believed to have been from a hyperbolic scenario where the father of a pregnant female resorts to coercion including threatening with a shotgun to make sure the male partner responsible for the pregnancy goes through with the marriage.
数字节(shù zì jié)
figure-featuring festival
Chinese netizens have set some days apart as festivals to mark, either according to the shape or pronunciation of the Arabic numbers. These include Lolita Day on October 11 (10.11), Singles’ Day on November 11 (11.11) and Gossips’ Day on August 18 (8.18), as eight here stands for ba gua, which means gossip in Chinese.
乡下都市人(xiāng xià dū shì rén)
ruralpolitan
Given the shaky job market, an increasing number of young urban dwellers in the US move their families to the countryside to seek peace, security and self-sufficiency by living a simple life on their own piece of land, according to a Wall Street Journal report.
快闪族(kuài shǎn zú)
flash mob
A group of people who are pulled together through Internet or cellphone text messages to take part in an unusual and sometimes pointless sudden act at a pubic place that catches onlookers totally unawares. They disappear in no time after the act designed for entertainment, satire or publicity.
恋爱实名制(liàn ài shí míng zhì)
relationship registration
Students at Fuzhou University are required to report, among other private matters, whether they are dating anyone. A picture of the university’s “register your relationship” questionnaire has spread on the Internet, drawing public criticism over the institution’s alleged invasion of the students’ privacy.
Chinese idioms:叶公好龙——Professed Love of What One Really Fears
chūnqiū chǔɡuó yè zhūliánɡ zìchēnɡ yèɡōnɡ春秋楚国叶诸梁,自称"叶公"。
OMG! Chinese Buzzwords! (20)
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.