孩奴 (hai2 nu2)
children slave
The term refers to new parents who work for their kid all the time and forego their own dreams or goals. These parents always weigh up the child’s life over everything else, spend thriftily and are prudent about job-hopping decisions. This word comes as a natural sequel of other slavish buzzwords of today’s China, such as housing/mortgage slave (房奴) and credit card slave (卡奴).

帕克 (pa4 ke4)
handkerchief advocator
The Chinese term became popular after China's online messaging service provider Tencent launched a handkerchief design campaign last year to encourage the use of handkerchiefs to protect the environment. The winner will be called a 帕客 or a "handkerchief advocator," as it refers to green consumers who prefer to use handkerchiefs instead of throw-away paper tissues in support of low-carbon life.

粉红力 (fen3 hong2 li4)
pink generation
The post-1990s kids in China have called themselves "the pink generation." In a heated online debate, the post-'90s hit back at critics from post-'70s-and-'80s, also called "the red generation," saying that although the newest group of teenagers is still young and naive, they will certainly grow into the backbone of China.

山寨锅 (shan1 zhai4 guo1)
satellite TV copycat
The term refers to unauthorized cheap satellite TV receivers that are popular in villages. The Chinese term literally means "village pans," partly because satellite TV dishes are called "pan" in Chinese and partly because "village" in China is commonly used to describe cheap copies.

网模 (wang3 mo2)
online model
The booming auction Websites have given birth to a new career - posing for online shops. The pictures of Website models, usually ordinary people working part-time, make fashion designs easier to peruse for online customers. 

年午饭 (nian2 wu3 fan4)
Lunar New Year's lunch
With Chinese New Year coming, the peak season for restaurants serving New Year Eve's dinner - a tradition for family reunions - is also looming. More families tend to take lunch for year-end meals to avoid the rush.

胶囊衣橱 (jiao1 nang2 yi1 chu2)
capsule wardrobe
The term refers to women's wardrobes filled with a few top-quality and easy-to-match clothes. They reflect a woman抯'sparticular fashion style, instead of stuffing the closet with a bunch of useless clothing.

伪娘 (wei3 niang2)
crosser
Different from gays and not simply sissies, crossers are males who dress and make up as female characters, usually in gothic and lolita styles, to entertain other fans at parties.

马甲软件 (ma3 jia3 ruan3 jian4)
office cover-up software
The software is popular among office workers to distract the boss’ attention when they are doing online chats, monitoring the stock market or watching online videos during work hours. It is disguised to look like Microsoft Word or Excel but enables users to switch Web pages through keyboard shortcuts. Some businesses have introduced Internet security monitoring systems to fend off such practices with real-time personal computer records.

围脖 (wei2 bo2)
Twitter
Netizens have always been inventive in applying everyday names to technology by drawing on the similarity of their pronunciations, such as 阿姨 for Internet Explorer, and 烘焙鸡 for home page. The Chinese for Twitter, 微博, a form of cell phone-supported blog, is similar to 围脖, or muffler, in pronunciation.  
 
虚客 (xu1 ke4)
purposeless shopper
These shoppers who don't need, or can't afford, luxurious products usually indulge vicariously in the consumer lifestyle by window shopping rather than actual buying. They stroll around brand stores, real estate agencies or car markets to learn the latest price and quality of goods for a small sense of satisfaction.

裸婚 (luo3 hun1)
certificate-only marriage
A recent trend has developed among young couples to forsake the wedding ring, wedding party, wedding gift, new apartment and whatever else is traditionally considered a must-have for newly weds to get nothing but a marriage certificate to tie the knot.

爪机党 (zhua3 ji1 dang3)
cell phone freaks
The expression refers to young people who don't let their cell phones out of their hands, all the time taking calls, shooting pictures, reading and texting short messages or playing games. 爪, which means a paw, is a slang term for hand, or 手.

森女 (sen1 nv3)
mori girl
The expression refers to women in their 20s who pursue a simple and natural lifestyle. First popular in Japan, it literally means girls living in wild forests. The word soon gained popularity among Netizens and developed wider use.

甲流聚会 (jia3 liu2 ju4 hui4)
swine flu party
With the swine flu epidemic spreading, some people have held gatherings to try to catch a mild version of the virus to create antibodies against more serious forms.

万人迷 (wan4 ren2 mi2)
princess/prince charming
Chinese people use the expression for a woman or man they dream of having as a future spouse.

胶囊旅馆 (jiao1 nang2 lu3 guan3)
capsule inn
The inn is a budget hotel popular in Japan, where people sleep in stacks of rectangular containers. Facilities range from television to wireless Internet connection. The benefit of these hotels is convenience and price. Such inns are born for those office workers who miss the last bus back home due to working overtime or getting drunk. However, more unemployed people currently resort to such facilities amid a global downturn.

拼爹游戏 (pin1 die1 you2 xi4)
competition of family background
Some young people of poor families who are usually very frugal and work hard to help their dependents overcome impoverished conditions complain that they are currently being judged in society on their family background rather than capability and knowledge. They believe the children of rich families, known as the “second rich generation,” can always get decent jobs and social status ahead of the poor.

防弹主机 (fang2 dan4 zhu3 ji1)
bulletproof host
A bulletproof host allows people to bypass the laws or contractual terms of service applying to Internet content and service in its country of operation because many of these "bulletproof hosts" are based overseas. This leniency has been taken advantage of by spammers and providers of online gambling or pornography.

理工男 (li3 gong1 nan2)
science geek
The expression refers to a group of highly intelligent people who majored in science and technology. They boast extensive scientific knowledge, love high-tech inventions and challenging computer games, and are curious about life. However, they may lack some common sense in regular relationship with other people. The heroes in the American TV drama "The Big Bang Theory" might be the most typical representatives of this group.

麦兜族 (mai4 dou1 zu2)
Mcdull clan
The term, derived from the namesake piglet character in the popular Hong Kong-based “Mcdull” cartoon series, refers to the grassroots 1980s generation struggling to purchase houses on their own. Mcdull is a down-to-earth optimist without remarkable ability or family background.

晕3菜 (yun1 san1 cai4)
Avatarh3dache
The term, coined by Western movie fans, refers to possible headache or sickness caused by wearing 3D glasses while viewing James Cameron’s latest sci-fi blockbuster “Avatar.” Experts suggest that audiences relax and focus only on main characters in the movie.

气候变暖主义者（qi4 hou4 bian4 nuan3 zhu3 yi4 zhe3）
warmist
The term is shortened from global warmist and refers to people who believe the earth is impacted by becoming warmer. More “warmists” have shown up recently in the wake of the Copenhagen Summit. The term is often used by those who are skeptical about global warming.

无盐女 (wu2 yan2 nv3)
ugly-but-virtuous woman
The expression stems from an ancient queen named Zhong Wuyan who used her wisdom to help her husband King Qixuan conquer other states during the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 BC). However the queen's ugly looks didn't match her smart and brave mind. Now her name is widely used by Netizens referring to a woman with an ugly face but virtuous mind.

被高速 (bei4 gao1 su4)
involuntary high-speed train passenger
The Wuhan-Guangzhou high-speed railway has recently been put into operation and several slower trains along the route have been cancelled. Passengers who are forced to take the costlier new trains describe themselves as "being forced to ride highspeed trains."

茶几 (cha2 ji1)
disaster
The Chinese word, literally meaning "a tea table," is the upgraded version of the Chinese buzzword "tragedy." It is said that life is like a tea table — full of tea sets (杯具, a homophone for tragedy) and with dinnerware (餐具, a homophone for disaster) all over it.

碰出火花 (peng 4 chu1 huo3 hua1)
chemistry
When a man and woman discover the spinetingling feeling of attraction at the same time, they are said to have tapped the romantic combination of chemistry. The Chinese literally means to "strike sparkles" of love.

阿飘 (a1 piao1)
ghost
The word, literally meaning "float" in Chinese, is a "nickname" for ghosts or phantoms because they are always described to be floating in air and drifting from place to place.

罗莉 (luo2 li4)
Loli
Loli is short for Lolita, the heroine of the 1955 bestseller novel “Lolita” by Russian-American author Vladimir Nabokov. Now, it usually refers to a sexually precocious young girl. It’s also an Internet slang for a little girl (4-12), especially in a sexual context.

古董衫 (gu3 dong3 shan1)
vintage clothes
The term refers to new or second-hand garments that originate from a previous era. The word vintage here is an elegant-sounding euphemism for old. It literally means an antique dress.

新娘哥斯拉 (xin1 niang2 ge1 si1 la1)
bridezilla
The term, a portmanteau of bride and Godzilla, a fictional Japanese giant monster, refers to a difficult, unpleasant, perfectionist bride who leaves aggravated family, friends and bridal vendors in her wake.

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影子经济 (ying3 zi jing1 ji4）
shadow economy
Also called underground economy, the “shadow economy” covers both legal activities, such as production of goods and services that are not taxed, and illegal ones, including drug dealing, prostitution and faking. The Financial Times newspaper recently reported the “shadow economy” is progressively getting larger in areas where corruption or legal monopolies restrict economic activities.

天花板官员 (tian1 hua1 ban3 guan1 yuan2)
ceiling-stuck officials
The phrase refers to officials who see little hope of further promotion because they are restricted by their old age. The Chinese term 天花板 meaning ceiling is compared to the restriction that is hard to break through. The officials are said to be more likely to become corrupt because they easily lose ambition and self-discipline.  

走私族 (zou3 si1 zu2)
sneaky chatters
The phrase refers to white-collar workers who use undercover online instant communication software to chat with friends without being noticed by the boss. The most famous of its kind is named "Just Chat" which can change the MSN window and make it look like an Excel table or a Word document. 

比基尼考 (bi3 ji2 ni2 kao3)
bikini test takers
The term literally means taking a test in a bikini. Yet it actually means taking a test after only briefly reviewing the course - the knowledge memorized is like a bikini that can only cover a small part of the mass. The term is in contrast to "nude test takers" who go into tests completely unprepared.

NC63
The phrase is short for "No Computer 63 Hours" that refers to a campaign becoming popular in big cities. The organizer of the campaign advises people to shut down their computers at 6pm on Friday and not turn them on again until 9am on Monday to enjoy real life as well as save energy.

掌托 (zhang3 tuo1)
hired applauder
Big Chinese television events, such as CCTV's New Year's Gala, hire extras or direct sit-in audiences to applaud "at appropriate times" according to instructions, an activity which creates fake "warm" responses. 

健脑食品 (jian3 nao3 shi2 pin3)
brain food
It is believed that by eating brain food such as fish, egg, fruit, nut, garlic and dark-leafed vegetables, you can boost your IQ, improve your mood, be more emotionally stable, sharpen your memory and keep your mind young.

压哨球 (ya1 shao4 qiu2)
buzzer beater
In basketball, a "buzzer beater" is the shot taken just before a playing period expires to the sound of the game clock's buzzer.

书皮学 (shu1 pi2 xue2)
book cover studies
It is the practice of taking the easy way out of serious reading of classics by dipping into the plots and pulling out abstract details to show off as if you are knowledgeable. The term is derived from the book “How to Talk About Books You Haven’t Read” by French literature professor Pierre Bayard.

僵尸网络 (jiang1 shi1 wang3 luo4)
botnet
A botnet refers to a group of zombie computers that have been attached to the Internet that has been compromised by a hacker, a computer virus or a Trojan horse. It is also called 机器人网络, or literally robot network. The word is coined by combining robot and Internet.

数码暴力 (shu4 ma3 bao4 li4)
digital violence
The virtual world is mostly a mirror of the real world, including its dark spots: libel, intrusion upon privacy, gossip and belittling. All can be done by means of digital technology - like uploading pictures or video clips onto the Internet - to hurt another person.

碎片化 (sui4 pian4 hua4)
fragmentation
The term has been used in sociology, biology, computer science and other fields. In this sense it has been borrowed to refer to the cutting of whole time into short periods when managing a variety of chores and jobs in daily life.

转礼 (zhuan3 li3)
regift
Regifting - the practice of giving someone a gift that you originally received as a gift from someone else - is becoming increasingly popular in today's tough economic times.

男漫 (nan2 man4)
bromance
The portmanteau word combines brother and romance and refers to the close but non-sexual relationship between men.

追剧族 (zhui1 ju4 zu2)
soap opera fanatics
The term refers to those people who show undue enthusiasm over soap operas but exercise little critical judgment.

奉子成婚 (feng4 zi3 cheng2 hun1)
baby-before-marriage
Many young Chinese people push forward their wedding due to an unexpected pregnancy after the couple decides against an abortion.

谐星 (xie2 xing1)
clown comedian
It refers to entertainers who go out of their way to amuse the audience by belittling or mocking themselves in the extreme.

屏幕脸 (ping2 mu4 lian3)
pale face
The Chinese term literally means a face like a computer screen, which is pale. It refers to a face that doesn't look healthy.

碳信用 (tan4 xin4 yong4)
carbon credit
The term, also known as carbon right, is a measuring unit of emissions in the carbon trading market. Nations or enterprises earn such credits by lifting efficiency of energy utilization and reducing pollution to cut carbon emissions under conditions sanctioned by the United Nations.

网游寡妇 (wang3 you2 gua3 fu4)
online gamer widow
The term refers to women whose husbands are addicted to online games, paying much more attention to them than their spouses. A court in Beijing has revealed that 20 out of 100 divorce cases it handled in 1980s-generation couples were triggered by Internet addicts.

驳样 (bo2 yang4)
copy
The term, “copy” in its literal meaning, usually refers to grassroots tailors’ mimicking of certain designer clothes or shoes. Such behavior offers an alternative for fashion-goers to stay trendy without burning a hole in their pockets buying genuine brands.

老板键 (lao2 ban3 jian4)
boss key
The term refers to certain short-cut settings of some software which allow users to minimize or hide the software that they don’t want their bosses to see they’re using during office hours. By pressing the “Boss Key,” the software, most likely online chatting software or games, will disappear from computer screens immediately.

迎臂效应 (ying2 bi4 xiao4 ying4）
Yes In My Backyard, YIMBY
The phrase/abbreviation is used to describe a person who supports a plan to build something near to where they live because, for a variety of reasons, they feel it could be beneficial to the surrounding community. The opposite is called NIMBYs — not in my backyard.

打桩模子 (da3 zhuang1 mo2 zi)
scalper
The word from old Shanghai dialect suddenly reappears as a buzzword after stand-up comedian Zhou Libo did vivid character impersonations in his popular comedy shows. Scalpers sell tickets of concerts and performances, coupons of shopping malls and exchange foreign currency.

已故名人 (yi3 gu4 ming2 ren2)
deleb
The word is short for “dead celebrity.” Forbes magazine has released its annual list of the Top-Earning Dead Celebrities. The ranking put Yves Saint Laurent at the top, and Michael Jackson came third. The income of these delebs proves the truth of the old saying -- sometimes death really can be a good career move.

光替 (guang1 ti4)
lighting stand-in
The term refers to people who substitute for big stars, leading actors or actresses during movie shoots by standing still for lighting tests in preparation for sequence filming.

洗具 (xi3 ju4)
comedy
The word, literally meaning washing wares in Chinese, is a homophone of the word “comedy” in Chinese. It follows another similar usage of “cup ware” which is pronounced the same as “tragedy” in Chinese. Both have gained in overnight popularity among Chinese Internet users as exaggerated and humorous expressions to replace the formal writing form of tragedy and comedy.

泡菜 (pao4 cai4)
posting-reading addict
It refers to people who spend a lot of time reading postings in online chatrooms. The Chinese expression literally means kimchi, but the word 泡, when used as a verb, also means to be immersed or deeply engaged in doing something.

宣讲会 (xuan1 jiang3 hui4)
recruitment road show
Each year multinational companies in large Chinese cities like Shanghai and Beijing will select several leading universities for their job recruitment tours. But more and more students have complained of slim chances of landing a job through such interactive promotion sessions.

失恋假 (shi1 lian4 jia4)
heartache leave
A Shanghai business recently followed the example of a Japanese marketing company in offering its employees paid time off to deal with the heartache suffered from a breakup with a partner. The older the age, the longer the time will be - apparently on the basis that younger people are more resilient in dealing with love抯 setbacks than their older counterparts.

吐血推荐 (tu4 xue3 tui1 jian4)
blood-spitting recommendation
This phrase vividly tells how eagerly and ardently someone is recommending a subject. It describes a person who is recommending it so strongly that the activity of speaking has hurt his/her internal organs and the blood starts to come out as he/she talks about it.

过度医疗 (guo4 du4 yi1 liao2)
overdose treatment
Many doctors in Chinese hospitals have been accused of dishonestly prescribing far more expensive medication and more clinical tests for their patients than necessary as a means of pumping up their wallets.

稀饭 (xi1 fan4)
like
The word, literally meaning congee in Chinese, is a homophone of the word "like" in Chinese and is widely spreading among Netizens as an exaggerated and humorous expression.

塑身衣 (su4 shen1 yi1)
shapewear
As the fashionable trend always transcends the gender border line, some men reportedly have tried on shapewear to catch up with their female counterparts.