Hold住 (hold zhu4)
under control
The phrase refers to having a situation under control or remaining composed, poised, calm and relaxed under pressure. The expression became the hottest catchphrase online after a Taiwan college student repeatedly said it when performing a comedy kit in a Taiwan TV show. The woman, calling herself Miss Lin, wore tacky dresses and heavy make-up and taught audience how to be fashionable in a pretentious English accent. Lin said the key to being fashionable is to keep everything under control at all times.

蓝精灵体 (lan2 jing1 ling2 ti3)
smurfs style
The phrase refers to a recent online craze to rewrite the lyrics of the theme song for the classic cartoon show  "The Smurfs." The netizens created various versions of the popular song based on different professions. In the lyrics, people from different occupations were likened to the tiny blue Smurfs.

堵车后效应 (du3 che1 hou4 xiao4 ying4)
post-traffic jam effect
It refers to anxiety, depression or disappointment that is carried into the office after a driver is caught in a traffic jam. A survey by a Florida psychologist found the longer a driver has endured a traffic jam, the more likely he or she will suffer the effect.

裸漂 (luo3 piao1)
penniless drifter
Chinese people refer to those who try to start a career in a metropolitan city like Shanghai and Beijing as drifters, who either have a beloved partner in the city or other assets. But some drifters stay in a city with nothing or nobody to care for.

旅游散伙 (lv3 you2 san4 huo3)
farewell tour
A new trend has developed among university classmates in their senior year in which they take an out-of-town trip together in the summer before they start work.

三低男 (san1 di1 nan2)
three low men
The phrase, which comes from Japan, refers to a group of men with low stance, low risks and low bound. These men now appeal to women in Japan. They have replaced the highly educated, high income and tall men that Japanese women traditionally pursued in the 1980s.

食品瘦身 （shi2 pin3 shou4 shen1)
product downsizing
The practice of some companies to reduce the weight of packaged goods while maintaining the price so that eagle-eyed customers do not detect what is basically a price increase.

零阻力员工 (ling2 zu3 li4 yuan2 gong1)
burden-free employee
Some fresh graduates at workplaces are often given extra workloads, overtime tasks or tedious business trips on grounds they are single and considered free of family burdens.

海归家具 (hai3 gui3 jia1 ju4)
overseas-returned furniture
Following the DaVinci furniture scandal involving costly Italian fakes made in China and labeled "imported," Chinese people mock these fakes as furniture returning from an overseas trip to qualify for the status of an import.

乐跳 (le4 tiao4)
leisure dive
After planking swept the Internet, the latest fad is “leisure diving” in which someone poses in mid-air with a beverage in hand, then dives into a pool. Hilarious photos are uploaded and fans’ motto is “Live and Let Dive.”

竹幕 (zhu2 mu4)
bamboo ceiling
Similar to the glass ceiling, the bamboo ceiling refers to the invisible barrier encountered by Asians and Asian Americans in the United States, preventing them from reaching top jobs because of their ethnicity and cultural background.

隐离族 (yin3 li2 zu2)
divorce clan
In Chinese cities, some people, especially women, have to hush up their divorce because of their child, parents or relatives. As a result, they continually have to make up lies to cover previous lies and make people believe they are still married.

自给族 (zi4 ji3 zu2)
self-sustaining clan
Some urban Chinese, concerned about the food safety scandals and rocketing consumer prices, grow their own food as much as possible, such as bean sprouts, or make it at home, such as yogurt.

银幕回锅肉 (yin2 mu4 hui2 guo1 rou4)
remake film
This refers to moves that are filmed again, comparing them with traditional Chinese pork dishes that are cooked twice.

轻博客 (qing1 bo2 ke4)
Light blogging, short-form blog
China’s Sina.com is beta-testing its Tumblr-like light blogging product, Sina Qing. It is a blogging platform that allows users to post text, images, videos, links, quotes and audio to their short-form blogs.

照片轰炸 (zhao4 pian1 hong1 zha4)
Photobombing
The English buzzword refers to the activity of ruining other people’s photos by making silly faces or moving into the background immediately before the photos are taken.

健商 (jian4 shang1)
Health quotient, HQ
Besides IQ and EQ, more people also pursue personal health with HQ, which generally refers to a person’s attitude toward health and their awareness of a healthy lifestyle.

杜康基因 (du4 kang1 ji1 yin1)
Du Kang gene
The name of Du Kang, the legendary inventor of wine, is often used by Chinese to stand for good wine. Shanghai researchers found that an “alcohol-resistant” gene, ADH1B, nicknamed the Du Kang gene, is widespread among the Chinese, Japanese and Koreans.

维生素小姐 (wei2 sheng1 su4 xiao3 jie3)
Vitamin lady
Some young women depend on an array of vitamin supplements to replace normal meals in this dubious way of losing weight.

育男 (yu4 nan2)
House husband
In Japan, some men took on the task of raising children and doing household chores during the economic recession to make up for the loss they suffered in their careers.

职场冥王星 (zhi2 chang3 ming2 wang2 xing1)
Office Pluto
Some office workers who have a proud history of leading a dream team or achieving outstanding performance have faded into obscurity for various reasons. They are just like Pluto that has been downgraded to a dwarf planet.

减智食品 (jian3 zhi4 shi2 pin3)
IQ-undermining food
Some foods are believed to reduce a person’s memory and intelligence. High levels of lead, aluminum, preservatives and pigment are usually blamed for the deterioration.

爆炸瓜（bao4 zha4 gua1)
Bursting watermelons
A reference to the watermelons grown in eastern China susceptible to bursting due to overdoses of the growth chemical forchlorfenuron. Central China Television referred to them as "land mines" as hectares of melons exploded on the land where they were grown.

悔丁族 (hui3 ding1 zu2)
DINK exit clan
These people well beyond prime reproductive age opt out of their earlier decision for a DINK (dual income no kids) family and decide to to start a family, a painful process.

维基傻瓜 (wei2 ji1 sha3 gua1)
Wikiot
A fool who believes all information found on Wikipedia is accurate and true.

鸡肋捐助 (ji1 lei4 juan1 zhu4)
SWEDOW
It is a shortened version from "stuff we don't want." The expression was coined after a huge quantity of charitable goods was sent to Indonesia following the Indian Ocean tsunami, but many of them, like drugs near expiry date, were of little use.

职场古董 (zhi2 chang3 gu3 dong3)
Mid-career backbones
The Chinese expression refers to those in their 30s and 40s who have accumulated sophisticated work experience and are well-versed in their posts of mid-level executives but often feel frustrated because they are pressured both from superiors above and green hands below. It literally means "job market antique."

身心俱疲症候群 (shen1 xin1 ju4 pi2 zheng4 hou4 qun2)
Burnout syndrome
The term means severe stress caused by work-related physical or mental trauma. A recent study by Spain’s Aragon Institute of Health Sciences showed that working more than 40 hours per week increases such “burnout” risks.

老同 (lao3 tong2)
Sisterhood
The term appeared in the movie "Snowflake and the Secret Fan" (2011) and earlier book of the same name, referring an exclusive and life-long relationship between two women in 19th-century China.

最恶心食物榜 (zui4  e3  xin1 shi2 wu4 bang3)
Top 10 disgusting foods
CNN recently released a list of the 10 most disgusting foods people eat. China’s pi dan, or preseved eggs, was on the list along with dog meat in Korea and Cambodia’s fried tarantulas.

拍照乱入 (pai1 zhao4 luan4 ru4)
Photobombing
The term refers to ruining other people’s photos by making silly faces or suddenly moving into the background before the photos are taken.

A Ponzi scheme is a fraudulent investment operation that pays returns to separate investors, not from any actual profit earned by the organization, but from their own money or money paid by subsequent investors.

娇蕉包 (jiao1 jiao1 bao1)
Birkin-printed bag

A canvas tote bag featuring a print imitating the Birkin bag and costing less than one-hundredth of the original made by Hermes. First produced by Taiwan-based design studio Banane Taipei, the bag has garnered many fans while also drawing legal action from Hermes for copying its classic Birkin.

黑天鹅事件 (hei1 tian1 e2 shi4 jian4)
black swan event

Also known as black swan theory, this term refers to unexpected events with a major impact. After the fact, the event is rationalized by hindsight. Such events, considered extremely outlier, collectively play vastly larger roles than regular occurrences.

高姐 (gao1 jie3)
high-speed rail attendants

The young female attendants serving on high-speed railway trains between Beijing and Shanghai. These attendants are just as charming as air hostesses and promise to serve passengers with "smiles, speed, standards, sincerity and satisfaction."

冷都男 (leng3 du1 nan2)
cool man

Short for the Chinese phrase "cool metropolitan men." originated from Korean TV dramas, the roles of cool men, with a good background, job and a poker face, are the opposite of "flower boys" who are sweet and cute.

公铁行 (gong1 tie3 xing2)
BMW

The Chinese is a back translation from the English BMW, which stands for bus, metro and walk. BMW has become a major commuting mode for more people in large Chinese cities such as Shanghai. It was coined by Chinese netizens inspired by the namesake luxury car brand partly as a way to promote an environmental-friendly lifestyle.

拼爹 (pin1 die1)
parents privilege competition

Coined by Chinese youngsters to voice their frustration at privileges given to some people whose parents hold a position of power or have a deep pocket. It literally means "competition between fathers."

牛博 (niu2 bo2)
popular microblog

It refers to those microblogs that have a huge number of followers, though in some cases the number has been inflated in dishonest ways.

色情短信接收者 (se4 qing2 duan3 xin4 jie1 shou1 zhe3)
sextee

A recipient of a sext, or a text message containing sexual content.

sperminator

The nickname given to “The Terminator” actor Arnold Schwarzenegger after the news broke that he had fathered a child with one of his household staff.

孕傻 (yun4 sha3)

pregnancy stupidity

It is believed that women during pregnancy will suffer deterioration of cognition capability and memory because of hormone changes. However, it does return after birth.

调情短信 (tiao2 qing2 duan3 xin4)

flexting

A Chinese translation of the English buzzword that is a portmanteau of flirt and texting.

慢活 (man4 huo2)

downshift

While urbanites have been plagued by a fast tempo of work and life, some people have learned to slow down their pace whenever it is possible to offset the pressure.

塑化剂 (su4 hua4 ji4)

plasticizer

A plastic polymer added illegally as a cheap thickening agent used mainly to make PVC soft and pliable. The Di (2-ethythexyl) phthalate, or DEHP, a kind of plasticizer that is blamed for the current Taiwan drinks scandal.

浮游照 (fu2 you2 zhao4)

levitation photo

An online fad of photographs taken when people are airborne, as if they were floating in the air. It is believed to have been started by Japanese girl Natsumi Hayashi.

隐性涨价 (yin3 xing4 zhang3 jia4)

hidden price hike

Many producers of daily necessities have shrunk the contents of their products while keeping the same retail prices. The price hike is virtually hidden to casual shoppers.

55p

tear point

“55” is an echoic word for sobbing or crying in Chinese. “Point” is the Chinese equivalent of “threshold.” If someone says “poke my 55p,” he or she is quite touched and ready to burst into tears.

美商 (mei3 shang1)

BQ, beauty quotient

The term, similar to competitive quotients IQ and EQ, refers to a person’s concern with his or her personal image, knowledge about aesthetics and even his or her control over voice, manner, etiquette, words and deeds. The self-marketing skill is regarded vital for people to succeed in the service industry.

衣商 (yi1 shang1)

style quotient

The term refers to a person’s style and sense of dress. The style usually depends on a person’s ability to pick the most suitable pieces and match them for himself or herself.

earworm

This expression is a translation from English which derives from the German term "Ohrwurm" for a portion of a song or other musical material that repeats compulsively within one's mind, known colloquially as "music being stuck in one's head."

微博控 (wei1 bo2 kong4)

twuilt

Borrowed from the English buzzword, a portmanteau of twitter and guilt, describing the guilty feeling you have when you haven't posted a twitter comment online recently.

品牌控 (pin3 pai2 kong4)

brand dropping

A pomp way of reminding others of your significance by deliberately mentioning the brand names of your luxury clothing and belongings.

聚会控 (ju4 hui4 kong4)

FOMO

Shortened form of Fear Of Missing Out, a feeling experienced by some urban youngsters who try their best to avoid being left out of partying, even though it tires them out.

仆街少女 (pu3 jie1 shao4 nv3)

planking girls

The term "pujie" means lying on the streets with one’s face down in Chinese while “shaonv” means girls. It refers to two young Taiwanese girls who became famous after photos showing them oddly lying down as flat as a plank on streets became an Internet sensation.

抹布女 (ma1 bu4 nv3)

rag woman

A woman who puts her heart and soul into helping her boyfriend or husband to succeed but is tragically dumped or betrayed in the end. Such a woman is compared to a piece of rag, which is used to wipe dirt and usually thrown away.

私奔节 (si1 ben1 jie2)

elope festival

It refers to May 16, which is pronounced “Wu Yao Liu” in Chinese and sounds like “Wo Yao Liu” which means “I want to escape” in English. Many romantic Chinese Netizens call the day “the elope festival” and say lovers should runaway together on this date. The term was more widely spread after Wang Gongquan, a venture capital founder, announced he will elope with a female friend via his microblog on May 16.

一奶两制 (yi1 nai3 liang3 zhi4)

one milk, two systems

A term coined by Chinese Netizens who were angry after a video clip was posted online showing Yao Tongshan, former chief finance officer of China Mengniu Dairy Company, saying milk products they transported to Hong Kong are “better in quality and safer in standards” than those to mainland. The company later made an official announcement to deny it. The sentence is rewritten from “one country, two systems,” an idea originally proposed by late Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping for political practice on the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong.

When English speakers say "kicking the bucket," Shanghai locals would say "翘辫子 (qao2 bi3 zi1)," which means literally one's "pigtail standing on its end or pointing upward."

This colloquialism derives from a local phenomenon common in the mid 20th century when trams operated in  Shanghai. Such trams usually had one or two poles installed above to draw an electrical current from overhead wires.

However, these trolley poles would often disconnect when the trams changed direction or lanes. As a result, the poles would be left standing on their ends pointing skyward, like two pigtails sticking out on a person's head. The  disengagement would cause a loss of power and the trams would come to a halt, or be "dead" as people would  call it.

Later, locals began to use the term 翘辫子 (qao2 bi3 zi1) in a humorous manner to describe someone who's died.

Today, this Shanghainese phrase has a derogatory connotation.

别苗头 (bi2 miao3 do)
Compete, vie for superiority or limelight

This phrase translates literally as "distinguishing the seedlings," as local farmers do to determine in which field their crops are growing best.

However, the term was later used to mean competing with each other for superiority or limelight.

For instance, in the 1930s and 1940s, Shanghai ladies were known for being showy and pretentious. They all craved the limelight. As a result, they were often seen 别苗头 (bi2 miao3 do) or competing with each other in almost  all aspects of life and particularly in terms of dress, wealth, appearance, knowledge, family success and talent. Everyone wanted to attract more attention and admiration and leave others standing.

Today, the phrase may be used to describe both men and women when they are trying to outshine or outdo others.

骂山门 (mo3 sei1 meng)
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.

In ancient times, such institutes were usually built in places far away from markets or business areas. If someone  went all the way to the entrance of such sacred places to call names, the purpose was to make it known to the public and maybe to the deities, as well.

Also, when people did this, they didn't really call "names." Instead, they launched their verbal attacks by innuendo. But most of those who were present could guess who were the targets.

Today, people no longer go to the "mountain gate" to 骂山门 (mo3 sei1 meng) and the phrase may be used to mean shouting abuse in public, with or without naming the people who are on the receiving end.

Confident, serene, certain, sure

People believe that this term is related to a bridge in neighboring Wu County. When a master was building the bridge the county magistrate passed by. The magistrate didn’t think the bridge was being built correctly and warned that it could collapse later.

Three months later, the magistrate sent one of his aides to check the bridge. When the aide got there, he saw many people leisurely sitting on the bridge. He asked them: “Isn’t this bridge dangerous?” Someone answered: “No. This bridge was built by a master. It has perfectly vertical piers and a flawless arch. It’s called 笃定 (do ding).”

Since then, locals have been using this term to describe people who are in a peaceful state of mind or resting assured. It may also be used to show one’s confidence as “I can 笃定 (do ding) finish my job on time.”

In order to further underscore one’s confidence, people have added 泰山 (ta san), the name of a famous mountain in east China, to this term to create the new phrase “笃定泰山" (do ding ta san) to mean fully confident and 100 percent sure.

Another variation of this phrase is a reduplication: “笃笃定定" (do do ding ding). It may be used to mean someone is doing something in an unhurried manner or with a measured pace.

半吊子(bu1 diao2 zi)

Senseless and tactless (in speech), mealy mouthed, dabbler, smatterer, slacker, unfinished

In ancient times, the Chinese used a string of coins as a monetary unit. One string could hold 100 to 1,000 coins depending on the period and location. Here, the Shanghai dialectic phrase translates literally as “half a string,” indicating it’s short of a set sum.

In daily conversation, this phrase is used to describe people who are deemed as dabblers or smatterers. So, you may call anyone with some skill or knowledge but not yet a professional or expert a 半吊子(bu diao zi).

The term also describes anyone who’s a slacker or who does not see a job through.

When the phrase is used to describe things or work, it means half-done or unfinished. A synonym of the phrase in this sense is 半勿郎当 (bu fo lang dang). For instance, you may hear a local complaining: “The work is still 半勿郎当 (bu fo lang dang), but the workers have all gone home.”

捏鼻子做梦 (nye2 bi2 do zu1 mang2)

Daydream, indulge in a fantasy

Pinching someone’s nose is known as an effective way to wake them up or interrupt their dreams. This Shanghai phrase means the opposite and translates literally as “having a dream with your nose pinched.” Since this is impossible, the phrase is used to mean “daydreaming” or “indulging in a fantasy.”

So, if a short, fat boy says that he will grow as tall as the local basketball legend Yao Ming (2.29m) someday, his peers may tell him: “You are 捏鼻子做梦 (nye bi do zu mang) (or dreaming with you nose pinched).”

This phrase has two parts: the first part 吃 (qe), meaning "eat," and the second part 生活 (sang wo), meaning literally "life." However, this does not mean "eating up a life," because in the vernacular, 生活 (sang wo) may also mean "chore" or "job."

For instance, if you want to know whether your friend has land a job, you may ask: "Have you found a 生活 (sang wo) ?"

Actually, this phrase has nothing to do with either "eat," "chore" or "job." At least, not directly. It means being beaten up and usually it’s the parents who beat their kids or the elder ones who beat the younger ones as a punishment.

Some people believe this phrase came from the confusion between 生活 (sang wo) and what the locals call draught animals. The sense came from beating the animals with a stick or whip to drive them on.

Others say that the meaning of "being beaten up" came from the tools used to do a job, such as rulers, spades or brooms, for they were frequently used by masters to hit their apprentices or parents to beat and punish their children.

Most locals, however, have no idea about the origin of this term, but they all use it to mean "being beaten up."

Sometimes, it is used to mean that one is hit by something accidently, while doing a job or carrying out a task. For example, when someone hits his own thumb while hammering a nail, he may say: "My left thumb 吃了一记生活 (qe le ye ji sang wo)," meaning "My left thumb was accidently hit (by the hammer)."

牵丝攀藤 (qi1 si bei1 deng)
To dilly-dally, move sluggishly, dawdle, linger

This literally means being stuck in tangled silk threads or entwined vines. This is annoying because it usually takes great patience and painstaking effort to disentangle oneself.

In the 1930s and 1940s, this might be used to imply someone was having an affair, usually an extramarital one.

In modern usage, however, it usually means to dilly-dally and do things in a sluggish manner. It can also describe someone who’s a slowpoke or who has a phlegmatic temperament.

Sometimes, it is used to indicate a lingering disease. For instance, one may say: "The cough has been coming and going for as long as three months. This is really 牵丝攀藤 (qi si bei deng)."

帮帮忙 (bang1 bang1 mang2)
Help, give a hand, come on!, cut it out

This usually means "help" or "give a hand." But as an imperative, it tells someone to stop his or her inappropriate behavior or abandon one’s attitude. It’s like saying, "Come on!" "Give me a break" or "Don’t give me that rubbish." To express absolute disapproval, you one may add "朋友" (friend) to this phrase and say: "朋友帮帮忙!" (bang you bang bang mang).

吃酸 (qi1 sui1)
Helpless, troublesome, vexatious, thorny

In Shanghai dialect, this term translates literally as “eating sour,” but it doesn’t mean eating something sour at all. It is often used to describe a situation in which one feels helpless or some people or something that one finds annoying but cannot think of an effective way to deal with.

Few can tell you the origin of this phrase, but many may liken the feeling the phrase describes to the unbearable sensation caused by eating something so sour it could cause vomiting and deplete one’s strength.

If that’s true, then the phrase is related to “eating something sour” after all.

炒冷饭 (cao3 lang3 vei1)
Rehash, repeat old content, flogging a dead horse

Shanghai locals are mostly rice eaters. So, if there’s any leftover cooked rice, they tend to 炒冷饭(cao lang vei), meaning to “stir-fry the cold rice,” usually by adding a spoon of edible oil, a pinch of minced green onion or even an egg. As a result, 炒冷饭(cao lang vei) is a common meal among many Shanghainese.

But when the phrase is used figuratively, it means to rehash old materials, repeat old content or reproduce an old idea. It’s like flogging a dead horse or putting old wine in a new bottle in English.

So, this colloquial term has a connotation of cliché, banality, bromide and lack of excitement.
Despite the fact that many Shanghainese do eat 炒冷饭(cao lang vei) from time to time, few like it in speeches and writing. Locals also tend to use a vulgar alternative to express their dislike of this type of 炒冷饭(cao lang vei): “Why do you always eat today’s fresh rice, but fart yesterday’s gas?”

签客 (qian1 ke4)
check-in fans
The term refers to those people who have a craze for checking in at a location-based service (LBS) to obtain virtual titles or medals which can be exchanged for actual coupons. They share their real-time whereabouts or release news via mobile phones.

华约 (hua2 yue1)
Tsinghua University-led enrollment alliance
This non-governmental term refers to one of China’s independent enrollment alliances featuring science departments, which is led by Tsinghua University and also includes Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China Science & Technology University, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Nanjing University, Zhejiang University and Remin University of China. Apart from enrolling students from the college entrance examination, the universities will jointly organize a written examination and share candidates’ performance results according to their enrollment standards.

北约 (bei3 yue1)
Beijing University-led enrollment alliance
Similar to the Tsinghua University-led enrollment alliance, this is another independent enrollment alliance featuring liberal arts, which is led by Beijing University and also includes Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Beijing Normal University, Nankai University, Fudan University, Xiamen University and the University of Hong Kong.

软瘾 (ruan3 yin3)
soft addiction
The term, unlike addiction to drugs or alcohol, refers to compulsive habits, behaviors or repeated sentiments which may bring about a short-term sense of satisfaction. Procrastination, excessive TV watching and frequent microblog refreshing or e-mail checking are among the most common examples.

豆芽家庭 (do4u ya2 jia1 ting2)
beanpole family
It refers to an extended family of several generations with each having only few members. It is also known as a verticalized family in Britain. High divorce rates have partly contributed to this phenomenon. 

豆腐渣婚姻 (do4u fu zha1 hun1 yin1)
jerry-built marriage
Some people have described the marriage of a rising number of young couples born in the 1980s as a building constructed with poor materials: hastily made and readily collapsible, on the grounds that these young couples meet by speed dating, get a hurried marriage and then break up shortly after.

多代屋 (duo1 dai4 wu1)
multi-generation community center
A kind of community activities center that caters for different age groups by offering them varied places to relax, read, communicate and learn. One such center has been built in Shanghai's Yangpu District.

3D人群 (san1 D ren2 qun2)
3D laborers
As Chinese businesses invest in less developed countries, many Chinese laborers have supported the overseas projects by doing dangerous, difficult and dirty jobs.

隐性饥饿 (yin3 xing4 ji1 e4)
hidden hunger
An insidious hunger widespread in the Third World that arises from eating food that is cheap and filling, but deficient in essential vitamins and micronutrients.

轻食 (qing1 shi2)
light food
It refers to food that is light in taste and low in fat, salt and sugar, which has become the "in" food in recent years as more people pay attention to personal health and fitness. It is believed to have evolved from the idea of having simply prepared food that is filling enough over a short time.

拆毁性建设 (chai1 hui3 xing4 jian4 she4)
destructive construction
Some officials have criticized the vicious cycle of unnecessarily digging up streets and then rebuilding them in downtown areas to the effect of driving up the GDP growth but undermining sustainable growth.

淘港族 (tao2 gang3 zu2)
mainland bargain-hunters in Hong Kong
Mainland tourists, attracted by the cheaper prices of luxury cosmetics and appliances such as cell phones in Hong Kong, who have provided a boost to the year-end sales season in the island city in the past few years.

围裙 (wei2 qun2)
microblog domain
Literally meaning an apron, the Chinese term is pronounced the same as 微群, which means an exclusive group of microbloggers who share their posts only among members.

开领工人 (kai1 ling3 gong1 ren2)
open-collar worker
Freelance workers who turn their home into an office, which is made possible by modern communications and computer technology. The term is based on the fact these people may well leave their collars unbuttoned instead of following any office dress code.

阶梯电价 (jie1 ti1 dian4 jia4)
tiered pricing for household electricity
The term refers to a new electricity pricing mechanism being planned in China as the country’s latest move to save energy. Residents will be categorized into different groups according to their electricity usage volume and each group will be charged on a different basis.

千年极寒 (qian1 nian2 ji2 han2)
coldest winter in 1,000 years
Polish meteorologists predicted countries in the Northern Hemisphere will embrace the coldest winter in 1,000 years due to the effect of the climate phenomenon La Nina. But the prediction was denied by The World Meteorological organization as it is not backed up by authoritative and robust scientific evidence.

限购令 (xia4n go4u ling4)
restriction on house purchase
The term refers to a regulation by 11 cities' governments that forbids residents from buying more than one or two homes within a certain period of time with an aim to curb speculation in the housing market and help more people purchase affordable houses.

直升机父母 (zhi2 shng1 ji1 fu4 mu3)
helicopter parent
A helicopter parent is a person who pays extremely close attention to his or her child or children, in a bid to protect them at any place at any time, like a helicopter hovering above the child's head and rarely out of reach whenever he or she is needed.

赖班族 (lai4 ban1 zu2)
office dwellers
It refers to those who linger at their offices after official work hours, most of whom are in the country's first-tier cities. Some lingerers are demanded to work overtime, some choose to evade traffic congestion during peak hours and some people, mainly living alone, are not willing to go home and prefer to kill time in the office.  

神马(shen2 ma3)
what
The term literally means "magical horse." Its pronunciation is similar to the word "what" in Chinese. It became popular after an online writer used the word to replace the correct characters of what ("什么") in an ultra-popular Internet posting during this year's National Day holiday. It is becoming almost the standard writing of "what" in Chinese cyberspace.

This term, which translates literally as "come three," doesn't have anything to do with the numeral "three." Instead, some people believe it's a homonym for "lanshan" or "blue dress."

Lanshan, a robe with broad borders at the collar, cuffs and hem, was once the official dress for scholars who had passed the county- and provincial-level civil examinations during the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties. Particularly, during the Qing Dynasty, it was decreed that the robe must be made of blue fabric.

Under the imperial examination system, scholars who had passed county, provincial or imperial court tests were guaranteed official positions in governments. Influenced by the Confucian precept that "study of books excels all other pursuits," scholars all studied for the single goal of passing the exam and becoming an official. As a result, "lanshan" became a symbol of success and social status.

In the Shanghai area, the word "lanshan" was gradually used to mean anyone who was capable or competent. Today, locals still use 来三 (lei sei) in this sense, but they also use it to mean something that is feasible or doable. For instance, you may hear locals ask: "Lei sei va?" meaning "Can it be done?" or "Can you do it?"

三吓头 (sei1 ha dou)
Bluffer, four-flusher

This colloquialism literally means "three scares." Many believe it comes from stories about a well-known historical figure called Niu Gao.

Niu was a sworn friend of Yue Fei, one of the most respected Chinese heroes and a famous general who fought the invasion of the State of Jin during the Song Dynasty (960-1279). Niu was very strong and he wielded a pair of huge axes. In battle, almost no one could withstand his first three strikes. But after that, Niu became extremely vulnerable because the three strikes exhausted him.

Later, Niu became a symbol of "three scares," someone who could launch fierce initial attacks but became helpless soon afterwards. So, anyone who could fend off his initial several strikes would be the winner.

In modern usage, the phrase 三吓头 (sei ha dou) is used to mean a "paper tiger," which has a scary appearance, but is actually a weakling. For instance, locals often say: "Don't try to bluff me, you're but a 三吓头 (sei ha dou)!"

三只手 (sei1 ze sou3)
Five-finger, itchy palm

This phrase, literally meaning "three hands" or "the third hand," refers to a pickpocket.

In Chinese, there's a word for thief comprised of three characters for "hand." So, in Shanghai dialect, a thief or a pickpocket is called "three hands," two for the normal functions and the third for stealing.

An alternative for 三只手 (sei ze sou) is 铳手 (cong sou), originally meaning a musketeer, who had to fetch gunpowder from a bag to reload a musket.

This is generally considered to be pidgin English meaning "old class." In the early and middle 1900s, locals called people and things related to the upper class "old class" or 老克拉 (lao ke le). The term later came to mean anyone with sophisticated taste and extensive knowledge about the finer things in life. It can also describe things. For example, one might call a well-tailored garment 克拉斯 (ke la si) or "classy."

Today the term 老克拉 (lao ke le) can be used interchangeably with another Shanghai colloquialism 老懂经 (lao dong jing), which usually means someone who is knowledgeable in a given subject, one of the cognoscenti. But the second term can be shorted to 懂经 (dong jing), which becomes an adjective meaning conversant with, stylish and fashionable. So, someone who is "very 懂经" is someone with specialized knowledge or refined taste.

In the 1960s, a special kind of shoe, with a black cloth upper and white plastic sole, became the vogue and people called them "懂经 shoes."

Today, however, these two are more often used among middle-aged and elderly locals.

老黄牛 (lao3 wang2 niu)
Irresponsible person, someone who habitually fails to keep his promises, uncomplaining and diligent person

The ox used to be common in Shanghai's rural areas and it has found its way into many colloquial terms. The phrase 老黄牛 (lao wang niu) combines the first character "老" (old) and the term "黄牛" (ox). The second part, "黄牛," today often is used to mean a scalper, one who buys something cheap and resells at a high price. The most common are ticket scalpers.

But when the "ox" is used with "old," it means a person who never keeps his promise or always says he will help you do something, but never does.

Despite its negative connotation when it means an irresponsible person, the term can also be positive in describing a person who works as hard as an ox and never complains.

老油条 (lao3 you2 diao)
Slacker, wily old bird

This term is a combination of the first character "老" (old) and the phrase "油条" (fried dough stick). The fried dough stick is Shanghai locals' favorite breakfast snack. When used with food, the Chinese character "老" doesn't mean "old" anymore. Instead, it means well done or overdone.

In Shanghai dialect, 老油条 (lao yu diao) can be used literally to mean a well-fried or over-fried dough stick, or it can be used figuratively to mean a person who always goofs off at work or who is wily and can always find a way to avoid chores and responsibilities.

This phrase literally means "exposing the Western mirror," referring to a street peep show popular during the first half of the 20th century. The show was staged in a big wooden box, a mirror at the top of the box reflected light coming through a few holes onto a picture displayed at the back side of the box. Viewers, usually young children, paid two cents to peep through holes in the front of the box at pictures that seemed to move -- they were manually pulled through at the back. Most depicted foreign scenery and fashionable Western ladies.

Once the box fell from its stand and broke, people found that the magic show was very simple: a box, a mirror and a few pictures.

Today, the phrase "拆穿西洋镜" (ce1 cu1 xi1 yang4 jing) means to see through a trick and expose the true nature of something. Another related phrase in Shanghai dialect is "看西洋镜" (kyu xi yang jing), literally "watching the Western mirror." It means to get a look at the excitement or watch the fun.

迪(这)记走远了 (de2 ji1 zou3 yu3 le)
To take a long and circuitous route, make a big deviation, get into deep trouble

This phrase, which literally means "now it’s straying far away from the destination," came into use during the early 1990s, when the city started to build elevated roads and "spaghetti" junctions to ease traffic problems.

At first, cab drivers were not familiar with the new routes and often missed the right exit ramps. As a result, they had to take a long, circuitous route to get back to the right place. Annoyed passengers grumbled 迪(这)记走远了(de2 ji1 zou3 yu3 le), as they worried about being late and paying a higher fare.

Today, cabbies know their way around better, but the phrase remains. It has come to mean something that has greatly deviated from its original purpose or something that has gone very wrong. It can also mean that someone has gotten into deep trouble. For instance, when someone is arrested for a serious offense, you may say he or she 迪(这)记走远了, meaning, "This time he (she) is getting into deep trouble."

人来疯 (yin3 lei2 fong)
To act up, to behave childishly and excitedly in front of a group.

When guests are present, children sometimes become excited, talk a lot and act up. Shanghainese use the phrase 人来疯 (yin3 lei2 fong) or "go guest crazy" to describe such behavior.

The term may also describe an adult who acts in a hyped, childish and immature manner in front of a group or crowd.

This literally means "disregarding three seven 21." Traditionally, people in Shanghai and nearby areas used the pronunciation of  "念" for figures 2 or 20. Thus, "Three seven 21" is the abbreviated version of "three times seven equals 21." It comes from the Chinese Multiplication Rhymes, a mnemonic device for memorizing the multiplication tables. Almost every pupil learns it by heart. The simplest version goes: "one one one, one two two ... two two four, two three six ... three seven 21, four seven 28 ..."

This is one of the basics of arithmetic. So, if one forgets or disregards basics, he or she must be out of their mind or doing something irrational.

The term 勿管三七二十一 (fo2 gwu3 san1 qi nie2 ye) suggests forgetting the usual rules or reason, doing whatever one wants, behaving in a foolhardy, reckless or audacious way.

A longer version is勿管三七二十一meaning "disregarding whether it's three seven 21 or four seven 28."

三六九捞现钞 (san1 lo jiu3 lao1 yi3 cao1)
grab fast cash

The figures 3, 6 and 9 have special meanings in Shanghai parlance.

In 1917, the?Great World, China's earliest and most famous indoor entertainment center, opened in Shanghai. The three characters of the center's name "大世界" happen to have three, six and nine strokes, respectively. So, locals nicknamed it 369. Later 369 came to mean a higgledy-piggledy place or a dump.

The figures 369 may also mean every now and then, or every two or three days. The figures denote the third, sixth or ninth days of a month, indicating short intervals. For instance, a couple that frequently quarrels may be described by saying, "They fight on 369 and quibble every day."

The phrase三六九捞现钞 (san1 lo jiu3 lao1 yi3 cao1) means literally "369, grab the cash." The jargon was first used in the city's stock market to mean making short-term investments, selling shares to make quick profits.

Since the 1990s, it means taking every opportunity to grab fast cash.

千年难板(qi1 ni1 nei3 bei1)
infrequently, occasionally, seldom, rarely

This phrase consists of two shorter terms: 千年 and 难板. The first means "one thousand years" and the second "rarely," a typical Shanghainese colloquialism.

People usually use 难板to describe infrequent happenings. One might say: "I难板go out to eat" or "We live in the same compound, but we难板meet each other."

The phrase 千年难板(qi1 ni1 nei3 bei1) means "rarely in a thousand years" or "once in a million years."

三隐女 (san1 yin3 nv3)
cover-up woman
Some young women in large cities like Shanghai go to great lengths to keep their age, marriage and parenthood secret. They pretend they are single because of bias against married women in the job market, because of competition for jobs and because bosses like single women.

卡时代 (ka3 shi2 dai4)
plastic card era
Debit cards, credit cards, employee cards, discount cards, shopping cards, VIP cards, transport cards, mobile phone cards and miscellaneous other cards seem to be everywhere in this "plastic card" era.

三明治一代 (san1 ming2 zhi4 yi2 dai4)
sandwich generation
The term refers to men in their 30s to mid-40s who are sandwiched between two heavy planks of burden: supporting their aging parents and their own nuclear family.

嫩模 (nen4 mo2)
girl model
Girl models, mostly in their early teens, are slim and not yet curvy, so they're perfect for many trendy styles and unisex street wear. These very young models recently promoted their photo albums at the 21st Hong Kong Book Fair in July.

抛锚婴儿 (pao1 mao2 ying1 er2)
anchor babies
The children born in the United States to an illegal immigrant family are entitled to US citizenship and eventually they can help their parents obtain legal immigration status. They are likened to anchors or moorings that kept ships from being swept out to sea.

橡皮人一代 (xiang4 pi2 ren2 yi2 dai4)
plasticine man generation
The term, derived from the 1986 namesake novel by writer Wang Shuo, has regained popularity. It refers to a growing group of "plasticine men" who are beaten out of shape, like plasticine, by modern society and kneaded this way and that. Broadly speaking, they are the white-collar workers who are numb to life, have no dreams, interests or goals and feel little pain or joy.

Like other Chinese, many Shanghai locals believe in physiognomy or face reading to reveal characteristics.

And according this kind of divination, a broad and protruding forehead is not only a symbol of wisdom, but also a sign of good luck.

So, if someone says that you have a "high forehead" in Shanghai dialect, he means you're a lucky dog.

This term, 额角头碰天花板 (nge guo dou bang ze ti ho bei), means literally "with one's forehead hitting the ceiling of the house."

Since a forehead cannot touch the ceiling, the phrase means that someone is incredibly lucky or unexpectedly successful.

死蟹一只 (xi1 ha1 yi1 ze)
At wit's ends, finished, done for, basket case, dead duck

For Shanghainese, autumn is the season for fresh water hairy crabs, a delicacy. It's the sine qua non for a traditional family dinner celebrating the Mid-autumn Festival.

Locals know how to shop for good hairy crabs in wet markets: pick the big and live crabs, never the dead ones.

This is because dead crabs, called 死蟹 (xi ha) in Shanghai dialect, carry the risk of food poisoning and are less tasty.

The term for a dead crab is 撑脚蟹 (cang ja ha) or a "crab with stretched legs." Because of this notion of a dead crab, Shanghainese have been using the term 死蟹一只 (xi ha yi ze) or "dead crab" to describe anything or anyone in a hopeless situation or someone doomed to failure or death.

So, when you think of the phrase "dead duck" in English, you can say 死蟹一只 (xi ha yi ze) or "a dead crab," instead.

贰先生 (ni3 xi1 sang4)
Sissy, softie

In autumn, cricket fighting is a traditional pastime among Shanghai males, young and old.

Many enjoy catching and raising the insect while some people gamble on fights. Naturally, in the cricket business, known as  赚绩 (zai jie), there are many quaint expressions and some have found their way into daily conversation. One such terms is 贰先生 (ni xi sang).

贰先生 (ni xi sang) literally means Mr Number Two, originally meaning a defeated male cricket.
Vanquished insects shy away from future fighting, so they can never be put in a serious fight again -- they're cowards.

Later, the term 贰先生 (ni xi sang) came to describe any unmanly, effeminate, weak or cowardly man. Today, it's a synonym of the English words sissy and softie.

Originally, this phrase meant simply to get something done or to finish a task. However, it was later adopted by Shanghai gangsters during the 1930s and 1940s and used to mean to kill, eliminate or eighty-six someone.

In recent years, this phrase has been combined into a new Shanghainese term called "拿伊做脱" (nei yi zu te), meaning literally "kill him" or "put him to death."

Local fans always shout "拿伊做脱" (nei yi zu te) in stadiums when the city soccer team is playing. Though they shout in Shanghai dialect, visitors know what they mean and fans believe this call for blood can boost the home team's morale and performance.

The phrase 做脱 (zu te), when it doesn't target a person or a living creature, is still used to finishing a job or having something done.

做人家 (zu3 in2 ga)
Form and support a family, thrift, frugality

This phrase has two meanings. When one reads the phrase with an accent on the first character 做(zu), which is a verb, it means to form and support a family.

For instance, when a young man or woman gets married, their parents always advise them to learn to 做人家 (zu in ga).

Since making a living in a big city like Shanghai has never been easy, parents offer detailed advice on how to make the best use of space in their homes, how to make a reasonable budget and how to keep up appearances even when they are in a jam.

In a commercial city, outward appearance or 面子 (me zi) is extremely important.

So, by extension, the phrase has come to mean practicing thrift or being frugal. And carefully managing money and other resources is a tradition cherised by Shanghai people, even when they become betteroff.

劈硬柴 (p2 eng3 za2)
Go Dutch, split the bill

In English-speaking countries, people say "go Dutch" or "split the bill" to mean to pay one's own expenses on a date or outing. In Shanghai, you can do the same by 劈硬柴 (pi eng za) or literally "chopping the hard firewood."

Although the city first got gas for utilities nearly 150 years ago, wood-burning stoves were still used by many residents until the 1970s, and the firewood was chopped into small pieces of the same size.

In the past three decades, more and more people, particularly young people. have become used to the "Dutch treatment" and they use the local phrase 劈硬柴 (pi eng za) to describe it.

In the late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), there were three celebrities -- businessman, a painter and a prostitute -- sharing the same surname "Hu" in Shanghai. Naturally, their names were frequently mentioned in local gossip. So, later, talking about the three "Hu" or 轧三胡 (ga sei wu) became a popular term used to describe people gossiping.

That's one of the several etymological stories about the Shanghainese phrase 轧三胡 (ga sei wu).
Another story was about a Chinese musical instrument called "二胡" or a twostringed fiddle. It's difficult to master the skill of playing "二胡" and someone learning the instrument could produce a lot of  noise and soon lose interest in it. Irritated by the strident sound, people tended to ridicule a poor player  by saying "三胡" (three-stringed fiddle) instead of "二胡". Later, the term of playing "三胡" or 轧三胡 (ga sei wu) came to mean chatting idly or shooting the breeze.

In current usage, 轧三胡 (ga sei wu) means to chat, engage in idle conversation or gossip.

打朋 (dang3 bang2)
Joke, poke fun, disturb

Young friends, particularly male friends, like having a mock fight among themselves. One may use his knuckle to give a light knock on another's head and the other may give a kick to another's backside. As long as it's not overdone, 打朋 (dang bang) or "hitting a friend" is a game among close friends as
a means to maintain or even deepen their friendship.

Later, the phrase came to mean making jokes or poking fun among friends, colleagues or acquaintances.

Today, 打朋 (dang bang) means exactly the same. But it may also be used to mean being not serious. For instance, you may hear some Shanghainese say: "Don't 打朋 (dang bang) and be serious."

Also, the phrase may refer to making a disturbance. For example, if you are doing something and don't want to be distracted, you may tell others: "Don't  打朋(dang bang), I'm busy now."

咂劲 (ze jin)
Enthusiastic, zealous, excited, eager, interesting

The first Chinese character in this phrase 咂 (ze) means to smack, sip, suck or taste, and the second 劲 (jin) means strength or energy.

This phrase can be used to mean being enthusiastic or zealous about something or concentrating on doing something. It may also be used to describe someone who's humorous or interesting. For instance, you may say: "He is very 咂劲 (ze jin)," meaning "he's a very interesting guy."

The term literally means a "mold" that is used for forming or shaping things. But in Shanghai parlance, it is often used figuratively to mean a man who acts chivalrously and upholds justice. It may also refer to a brave man who doesn't flinch in face of danger or a man who is loyal to his friends and ready to help them despite difficulties.

When used alone, 模子 (mu zi) always has a positive connotation. It is used to praise a man for commendable behavior. For instance, when a man lends a hand to help someone in dire trouble, despite possible risk to himself, one may call him a 模子 (mu zi).

However, 模子 (mu zi) may be used to mean an ordinary person or even a low-life when it is coupled with various adjectives in the Shanghai dialect. For example, people may say someone's a 大模子 (du mu zi), which means a person of a big size, or 小模子 (xiao mu zi), a person of a small size.

马大嫂 (ma2 da2 sao4)
House chore-doer, a person who does the strenuous work around the house (especially shopping, cleaning and cooking)

This phrase, "sister-in-law ma," reads like the name of a common housewife, but it's homonymous with the three Chinese words "shopping, cleaning and cooking," typically the main household chores.

In Shanghai dialect, this term is often used to describe a "house husband" who is willingly to do a lot of housework to show his love and consideration for his wife. 马大嫂 (ma da sao) is the paradigm of a "good Shanghai man," known for domestic skill and extreme concern for his spouse. So, a "good Shanghai man" or a 马大嫂 (ma da sao) husband is the dream of every Chinese woman.

Shanghai men sometimes proudly tell others that they are a 马大嫂 (ma da sao) at home.

石库门 (ze2 ku2 men)
Stone-framed gate

This phrase refers to a unique architectural style for residential buildings in Shanghai, which combines both Chinese and Western elements. The two- or three-story townhouses, connected and arranged along lanes, first appeared in the city in the 1860s. Later, the city's downtown area was dominated by such residential buildings, now also known as "lane houses."

Each of such houses features a stoneframed black gate and a small front courtyard. The houses are considered a symbol of the city.

In recent years, many of these buildings have been pulled down to give way to modern shopping malls, high-rise apartments and other urban projects.

Xintiandi, a popular shopping, eating and entertainment complex, is comprised of renovated lane houses.

This literally means "knocking the bamboo tube."

In the old times, when copper coins were the main currency, people in southern China used bamboo tubes to store coins. So, instead of a "cash register," store clerks put bamboo tubes on the counter to stock coins.

When a mafia money collector or rascal used a stick to knock the bamboo tube, it meant he was collecting a "protection fee" or putting the lug on the shop owner.

Others say the term 敲竹杠 (kao zo gang) comes from the pidgin English "bamboo chow chow" used more than 60 years ago. It meant beating or blackmailing someone while wielding a bamboo walking stick.

Today, it may mean making someone to pay through the nose or robbing somebody blind by trickery or coercion.

揩油 (ka1 you2)
Get petty advantages, take liberties with (women)

This literally means "getting gravy" and describes exploiting an opportunity to reap some petty gains for free or at the expense of others. Many people say this is a signature behavior of common Shanghai urbanites who are very shrewd in business and keen on taking all possible opportunities for trivial advantages. For instance, mothers on a bus could hide their kids who exceed the height restriction to avoid buying a ticket. or, someone might queue up several times just to get more than one taste of free food sample at a promotion.

While some disparage this habit, others say it's a sign of the "smartness" of Shanghai locals.

In current usage, the term may also mean taking liberties with women, such as touching them without their permission. Here, the term 揩油 (ka you) is a synonym of another Shanghai phrase 吃豆腐 (che do fu), meaning philandering or taking advantage of a woman.

作 (zo3)
Make a fuss over a trifle, a highmaintenance person

This term often describes anyone who is fussy, unreasonable and troublesome. It commonly refers to someone who kicks up a row, makes things difficult or points out faults in an antagonistic way.

It can describe naughty and mischievous children. But it may also apply to highmaintenance females, either as friends or lovers. For instance, a Shanghai man might say, "My girlfriend is a very 作 (zo) lady." This isn't necessarily derogatory and may imply she is lovely in a high-maintenance manner. Some Shanghai men love high-maintenance women as long as they don't tear the house down.

The phrase means literally "20 percent discount for one's eyes." In current usage, it is a pejorative often used to scold or deride anyone who fails to see something obvious, usually due to carelessness. For instance, if you accidently bump into someone in the street, the guy might shout, "Are your eyes at 20 percent discount (眼睛打八折)?"

Actually, when the phrase was fi rst used in Shanghai parlance, it referred to a person who wears glasses. If one wears a pair of glasses, they might be called "four eyes" by Shanghai locals with a half-humorous tone. In the past, people believed that only those with poor eyesight would wear glasses. So, when one's eyesight was particularly bad, people doubled the number of "eyes" and said the person was "wearing eight eyes."

"Wearing eight eyes" sounds similar to the phrase 眼睛打八折(ngai jing da ba ze) and the sense of "discount" in the latter suits very well the thoughts of business-minded locals. So, next time in this city when you see someone slipping up due to the fact that he or she misses something obvious, you may describe the person as one with discounted eyesight.

枪势 (chang1 si1)
Chance, ability, luck

Most people believe this Shanghainese term comes from the English word "chance." They share similar pronunciation. It is said that the term was fi rst used as jargon in playing billiards. For instance, if you leave the cue ball in a spot that benefi ts your rival, you probably would say, "Hey buddy, I've given you a good chance."

This kind of cue sport was once popular among locals and there were numerous billiard clubs around the city until they gradually closed in the late 1960s. But the term has survived, although it is rarely used alone. It often appears in two common phrases "枪势足" (chang si zo) and "混枪势" (wun chang si). The former suggests "doing extremely well" because of either one's good ability or good luck. The latter means "muddling along," "drifting along" or doing one's job in a perfunctory manner.

轧闹猛 (ga1 nao2 mang1)
Join in the fun, take part in the merriment, add trouble

This term combines the verb "轧," meaning "roll" or "join in" and "participate in," with the phrase "闹猛," meaning "full of bustling activities," "lively" or "a noisy crowd" in colloquial Shanghainese. You can hear the phrase "闹猛" in ordinary local conversation every day, because city people just can't get enough hustling and bustling.

So, in locals' mind the term gives the image of squeezing into a noisy crowd and joining in the fun. However, it may also mean adding trouble. For instance, just when you have your hands full with multi-tasking, someone comes up and asks you to do something else right away. That's another kind of  轧闹猛(ga nao mang).

Some people say this Shanghainese colloquialism has an origin involving tailors and brothels many decades ago, but others believe it comes from local jargon used at the mahjong table. Anyway, the phrase staged a strong comeback in the language in the late 1980s and early 1990s and has since become one of the most widely used phrases in the Shanghai dialect.

The three characters in the phrase may translate verbatim as "stir" and "paste," thus offering an image of stirring something as murky as a paste or starch.

Many agree the phrase reflects the mundane thinking of urban dwellers struggling to survive in the mudsill of society in a megacity like Shanghai. They can't afford to be ambitious or play the hero. So in many cases they just have to muddle through a thorny situation, feign ignorance or fool someone else by blurring the line between right and wrong.

Today, this phrase may also be used to describe someone who's making irrelevant remarks or doing something in a perfunctory manner. For instance, in order to avoid offending either parties in an argument, one may refrain from making an unequivocal statement and so he goes off at a tangent.

撬边 (qiao1 bi4)
Friendly persuasion, false bid, shill

This term originally means to sew the hem of a dress. It's not a big job but it is necessary to complete the garment. Later, it was used to describe some young women hired by evil merchants to help boost their shady businesses.

Now it may mean offering friendly persuasion to help seal a deal. However in many cases the phrase still has a pejorative connotation. It implies a false bid or feigned enthusiasm in an attempt to dupe others into participating in a swindle, or buying a substandard or overpriced product.

A related phrase is 撬边模子 (qiao bi mu zi), which means a shill or beguiler who pretends to be a satisfied customer to entice others into buying some questionable products.

起蓬头 (qi2 bong2 dou2)
Sudden pickup, hullabaloo

In Shanghai dialect, 蓬头 (bong dou) means a sudden puff of smoke, dust or flame. In modern usage, this phrase refers to a sudden pickup in momentum for a strategy or activity, such as the spread of a trend or sales of certain products. But it always implies a bit of hullabaloo.

连档模子 (li2 dang1 mu3 zi1)
Conspirator, colluder

This phrase means literally two people wearing pants with a joint crotch. So if one wants to walk, they've got to walk together. Today, it usually refers to people who work closely together for a fraudulent or deceitful purpose.

Nearly a century ago, Yangjingbang (洋泾浜) was a small creek flowing into the Huangpu River, the main waterway of  Shanghai. The creek separated the International Settlement and the French Concession. The French Municipal Council in 1915  decided to fill in the creek, turning it into a road named Avenue Edward VII. In 1946, the road was renamed Zhongshan Road E. and today it's called Yan'an Road E.

After Shanghai was opened up as a trade port in the mid-1800s, Yangjingbang Creek became a venue for Chinese and Western merchants to talk business. Most of them, of course, talked in pidgin: Chinese English or English Chinese. Later, people called  the language "Yangjingbang."

Some Yangjingbang English is still in use today, such as "people mountain, people sea" and "long  time no see."

Today, people still use Yangjingbang to mean pidgin English or non-idiomatic use of a language. But, the term  may also be  used to refer to an unauthentic or poor imitation of something. For instance, when a Chinese is awkwardly handling  forks and  knives in a Western restaurant, people may say he is acting "Yangjingbang."

放白鸽 (fang4 be3 ge1)
Stand somebody up, empty talk

Shanghai people call pigeons 白鸽(ba ge) or "white dove." So, this term means literally "flying a white dove."

In the past,  "flying a white dove" meant a badger game or a fraud, particularly in trade. After showing customers the example of  one's  commodity and ensuring that the order was prepaid, the seller substituted the goods with low-quality or fake products. So, the  real goods remained in the seller's possession.

It's just like giving a homing pigeon to someone, but if he immediately sets the  bird free, it will inevitably fly back to the original owner's home.

Today, Shanghai dialect speakers use this phrase to describe anyone who stands someone up or eats his words. For example,  people may say to someone who stood them up last time: "Don't you dare 放白鸽(fang ba ge) again."

邋遢 (le2 te1)
Dirty, sloppy, slovenly

There are little folk etymologies around about this phrase, which also appears in the standard Mandarin with a similar denotation.

In Shanghai dialect, however, this term is often used to describe a person who is slovenly dressed or who pays little attention to his or her appearance. But when it is used to depict the weather, it means a wet or damp day.

名堂 (ming3 dang1)
Name of the game, result, reason, trick
This Shanghai phrase is said to come from the name of a hall used by ancient emperors to hold meetings, ceremonies and lectures. But the place was long lost and late comers could not figure out what it looked like and how it functioned.
So, the term implies something mysterious or inexplicable. For instance, when people try to find out what's going on in a place, they're to find out the 名堂 (ming dang) there. It can also be used to mean achievement or result. So if someone has done no "名堂," he hasn't accomplished anything remarkable.
When the phrase is used in association with  reason or trickery, one will find it in sentences such as "there's a 名堂 (reason) in it," "there's a 名堂 (catch) in his remark," and "that old man can't learn any new 名堂 (tricks)."

赤佬 (ce1 lao1)
ghost, devil, dude
Some people believe this term is another marriage of an English word and a Chinese character. They say the first character in the phrase comes from the English word "cheat" and the second, "佬", meaning a person.
In the Shanghai dialect, the term is usually used to address someone in a demeaning or abusive manner. For instance, after an unpleasant meeting with a person, one may say: "I just saw a 赤佬 (ghost)." People also call naughty or impertinent kids "小赤佬," meaning a "little devil."
Among people with close personal ties, the phrase may also be used as a casual and playful form of greeting.

老鬼 (lao3 ju1)
Expert, well versed, skillful
In Shanghai dialect, the Chinese character 鬼 (ghost) is pronounced "ju" instead of "gui" as in Mandarin. So, this term means literally "old ghost."

In modern usage, the term is used to describe someone who is an expert in a certain field, particularly good at something or skillful in handling difficult situations. It usually has a commendatory connotation.
There is another widely used colloquialism, 老鬼三 (lao ju sei), which is closely related to the term 老鬼 (lao ju) but has a different meaning. 老鬼三 (lao ju sei) can be used to mean a wily guy or any object, especially if it's heavy or bulky.

But when women talk about 老鬼三 (lao ju sei) in private, it means something totally different. For example, when a lady says "My 老鬼三 (lao ju sei) is here," she means "Aunt Flo is visiting."

一天世界 (yi1 ti1 si4 ga4)
Littered or scattered everywhere, a total mess, all over the place
Few people know the origin of this phrase which translates literally as "one-day world." However it is widely used by Shanghai dialect speakers to mean something is littered or scattered everywhere, especially in a disorderly and confused manner. It may also be used to describe a place in a total mess and where everything is turned topsy-turvy.

For instance, when a kid has turned the house upside down, you may say he has thrown the house into 一天世界 (yi ti si ga), or a "one-day world."

When the phrase is used with the verb to "laugh," it depicts a scene where either everyone in a group bursts into loud laughter at the same time or one individual who is laughing himself or herself into fits.

门槛精 (men2 kei1 jing1)
Sharp-minded, shrewd
In Shanghai dialect, people find quite a few terms and phrases that are actually portmanteaus of the English word and the Chinese character or phrase.
Here, the phrase 门槛精 (men kei jing) is used by locals to mean someone who is very smart, sharp-minded or shrewd. In other words, a sharp cookie. And many people believe it’s a combination of the English word “monkey” and the Chinese character  “精" , which here means “sharp, shrewd.”
The term can be used in both a commendatory or derogatory sense, depending on the circumstances. For instance, “He’s 门槛精 (men kei jing), so he’s not likely to lose the deal” or “Be careful when you deal with him, he is very 门槛精 (men kei jing).”

戆大 (gang3 du1)
Idiot, fool, simpleton
Some people believe this phrase comes from the English word “gander” because they sound alike and share almost identical meanings. However, others argue that it is an aboriginal term. In this phrase, the first character “戆" means “stupid or simple,” and the second means “big or elder.”
In rural areas of Shanghai, people say that the eldest child in a family is usually more honest, obedient or simple-minded, but the second child tends to be smart, shrewd and mischievous. Thus, 戆大 (gang du), as the “simple-minded elder,” is now used to describe anyone who’s a fool or simpleton.

洋盘 (yang2 bo1)
Sucker, dupe, easy target
There are several sources of this Shanghai colloquialism. One is that it derives from the calculating device, the abacus, used in stock markets for decades. Abacus in Chinese is called "算盘" or "calculating board," hence "开盘" (kai bo) meaning "opening transactions" and "收盘" (se bo) meaning "ending transactions." 洋盘 (yang bo) first meant a beguiling "calculating board"used  to cheat inexperienced traders. Later, it became the name for an easy target or victim of market  subterfuge due to inexperience or ignorance. Some believe it came from the English phrase  "young boy," because "young boy" sounds like the pronunciation of 洋盘 (yang bo). The Shanghai  expression also has the implication of greenness and immaturity implicit in the English phrase.

推板 (tei1 bei2)
Low quality, substandard, indecent, short (of)
Most people believe this term originates from the nomenclature of boat transport still thriving in the Yangtze River Delta area. Others, however, argue that it derives from the English phrase "too bad" as the pronunciations are similar and the meanings related.
The colloquial term frequently describes something not good or of substandard quality, or people who are indecent or dishonest.
Also, it can be used to mean "short or short of."For instance, when someone says "this cable 推板 (tei bei) 5 centimeters," he means the cable is 5 centimeters too short.
When someone decides to buy a product in a store and tells his friend that he 推板 (tei bei) 50 yuan, he means that he is 50 yuan short.

The verbatim translation is "porridge made of soaked rice" and refers to a favorite breakfast of Shanghai locals.

They usually recook leftover rice from the previous day by adding water, then boiling it to get the desired consistency.

Because of the prolonged bubbling sound of the boiling rice water, people adapted the term to describe anyone who is garrulous, talkative or voluble.

Used figuratively, it has a slightly derogatory connotation as 饭 (rice), the first character in it, pronounces similarly to the Chinese character 烦, or "weary." So, next time someone keeps nagging you and babbles on and on, you may call him 饭泡粥.

瘪三 (bie1 sei1) Bum, beggar

The term is believed to derive from another Pidgin English expression widely used in Shanghai's semi-colonial era more than 60 years ago. It came from sayings such as "beg sir," "beg say" or "empty cent" uttered by beggars or tramps wandering the city.

It was used to describe those who relied on begging, stealing, cheating and swindling to survive.

Today, the term applies to people deemed wretched, despicable, dislikable or shameful, whether they're rich or poor.

It may also be used as a pet name between closely related people in an informal and lighthearted way.

A related term of 瘪三 (bie sei) in the dialect is 洋装瘪三 (yang zang bie sei) or a smartly dressed bum, implying a poor person trying to look rich.

肮三 (ang1 sei1) Tricky, thorny, disappointing, disgraceful, shoddy

The first character means literally "dirty" or "filthy," and the second means "three." In Shanghai parlance, the number three often implies a very low level or poor quality.

So, by derivation, the term describes something of low quality or extremely disappointing.

It also suggests something tricky or thorny or someone who's stingy, disgraceful or acting in an underhanded way.

People usually list two English expressions as the origin of this Shanghai colloquial term. One is "out side," the other is "on sale." Both sound onomatopoeically genuine.

The first term "out side" comes from ball games such as tennis when a referee calls an off-side ball no score.

"On sale" brings with it the connotation of something cheap or of lower and substandard quality.

More often used as an adjective, the noun is 肮三货 (ang sei hu), meaning anything or anyone that can be called 肮三 (ang sei).

节奴 (jie2 nu2)
festival slave
The term refers to those people overwhelmed by the pressure of socializing and giving away gifts during major Chinese traditional festivals, such as Lunar New Year. Some people may end up spending several months' salary during a festival break.

试消费 (shi4 xiao1 fei4)
trial consumption
The practice of trial consumption originated from Websites offering shopping tips. The trials are mostly initiated by catering, tourism or hotel services which offer a group of Web users free trials as a promotion campaign via word of mouth. It provides a reasonable alternative for consumers to avoid blind purchasing.

嫁碗族 (jia4 wan3 zu2)
bowl chasers
"Iron bowl" in Chinese is often used as a metaphor for stable jobs with little risk of the incumbent being sacked. The term "bowl chaser" refers to women eager to marry "Iron bowl holders" for the sake of a stable marriage and relatively high social status.

毕加索 (bi4 jia1 suo3)
stay-at-home men
The term literally refers to art virtuoso Picasso in Chinese and is pronounced similar to "close (闭) and (加) locked (锁)" in Chinese. It is another joking term for young men staying at home to pursue obsessive interests, particularly Japanese video games, comic books and animation movies. They were previously called otaku-boys.

临时店 (lin2 shi2 dian4)
pop-up store
For most retail stores, staying in business for only a few days would be considered a major flop. But a growing number of merchants are opening shops and shutting them soon after -- on purpose. Operating these quickie retail outlets -- known as pop-up stores -- is the latest trend in retailing. It lets merchants move quickly, opening shops to test a new product or market and closing them without much fuss.

黄金降落伞 (huang2 jin1 jiang4 luo4 san3)
golden parachute
A job contract which stipulates that in the event of a takeover by another company, a worker, usually a senior executive, may resign without loss of salary and various perquisites until his contract ends.

紧身牛仔裤 (jin3 shen1 niu2 zai3 ku4)
jeggings
Jeggings are half jeans and half leggings. The fabric is stretchy like leggings but the look is typically an indigo jeans look. The look has been fondly embraced by the likes of Beyonce, Mischa Barton and Pixie Geldof.

毛脚女婿 (mao2 je1 nv3 xu4)
son-in-law to-be
The term means literally "hairy-feet son-in-law" in the Shanghai dialect. When a young woman brings her fiance to meet her parents for the first time, the young man is upgraded from a "boyfriend" to a "hairy-feet son-in-law."
Some people say the "hairy feet" derives from an ancient story about a sick young woman and a spellbinding frog with hairy feet. But in modern usage, "hairy feet" is believed to come from the Shanghai vernacular "毛手毛脚," or being "clumsy, reckless or careless." As a callow newcomer in the family, the young man, eager to make a good impression on his future family, tends to behave in a clumsy and awkward way.
Typically, a "hairy-feet son-in-law" never forgets to bring favorite presents to his future in-laws on each visit, volunteer to do house chores at the new home, and do everything he can to please the family.

发嗲 (fa1 dia3)
act coquettishly, play the woman, act like a spoiled child
This is another signature term of the Shanghai dialect. It is believed to derive from the English word "dear" and today is often used for women or children who speak or act in an overly gentle or endearing way to charm or emotionally trap others.
When it is used in a negative sense, it usually describes a woman who exploits her feminine wiles to lure a desired sex partner. But it may also be used to portray those acting in a pretentious manner. For instance, when one tells a friend that he is going to pay for their dinner next day to demonstrate his generosity, the friend retorts: "Don't 发嗲 (fa dia), I have already picked up the bills for our three previous dinners together."

裸扫 (luo3 sao3)
naked body scan
The phrase refers to high-tech body scanners at airport security check points that see through clothes to detect hidden weapons or explosives. The scanners are triggering fears over passengers’ privacy rights being infringed. Yet amid protests against the indignity a “naked” body scan brings to people, the intrusive machine has been deployed at airports in the United States.

不胜韩魔咒 (bu4 sheng4 han2 mo2 zhou4)
no-win jinx against South Korea
After a 32-year losing streak against South Korea's men's soccer team, China's national team was said to have been cursed by Koreaphobia. The phrase became a hot topic again among disaffected Chinese football fans after the national squad smashed the jinx on February 10 with a 3-0 win against South Korea.

居里夫人 (ju1 li3 fu1 ren2)
Madame Curie
The phrase does not mean Marie Curie, the Polish female scientist. The Chinese phrase literally means a woman staying at home. It is a fresh way to say "Otaku girls" who stay in their residence and pursue obsessive interests, particularly Japanese video games, comic books and animation movies.

妈妈评审团 (ma1 ma1 ping2 shen3 tuan2)
manpower porn filter
The phrase refers to a group of citizens, most of them mothers of teenagers, who are hired by local governments and Internet watchdogs to browse the Internet and hunt for pornographic content. The government prefers mothers because they are the most concerned about the harm porn could do to their children.

恐归族 (kong3 gui1 zu2)
home-anxious clan
It refers to young Chinese people who work in a large city far away from their hometown and dread returning home during the Spring Festival. The reason is they are not so well-established in career or life and are anxious about what to take home to please their parents or relatives.

素人 (su4 ren2)
sirouto/layman/bungler
The Chinese expression comes from the Japanese and is mainly used to refer to those people who are inexperienced at doing a certain thing.

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.

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.

梦中情人 (meng4 zhong1 qing2 ren2)
dream sweet-heart/love
When a public figure evokes sexual appeal, he or she is regarded as a public sweet-heart in dreams.

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.

追客 (zhui1 ke4)
follower
The term refers to people who regularly refresh Web pages to follow the latest updates of online fiction serials, TV series, bloggers or podcasts. They will often feel upset over the delay or suspension of the updates.

隐形狗 (yin3 xing2 gou3)
invisible dog toy
The kuso toy, a specially designed rope invented in the 1970s, has recently come back into vogue. Many New Yorkers enjoy holding the rope, walking the non-existing dog and even pretending to tidy up the non-existing dog's poo.

群体无聊(qun2 ti3 wu2 liao2)
group boredom
The term turned into a catchphrase on the Internet. It reflected in a way the cyber culture in which young people kill their time in virtual worlds after being bored by other traditional entertainments, such as TV, radio and reading books.

走鬼(zou3 gui3)
unlicensed vendors
The Chinese term originates from Hong Kong, and literally means "walking ghosts." It refers to unlicensed street vendors who meander about to flee punishment by authorities.

刷书客 (shua1 shu1 ke4)
book scanner
The term refers to people who record extracts from a book, either in a bookstore or a library, with an electronic mini scanner without any intention to buy the book.

回流 (hui2 liu2)
backflow
The term refers to a phenomenon where many Chinese abandon their jobs and homes abroad to return to work in China at a stable job, especially in the current global financial crisis.

范儿 (fan4 er)
style
The Chinese term, popular mainly in northern China, refers to one's style --from dressing to general behavior.

跳价 (tiao4 jia4)
price hike
At first glance, the Chinese term is a bit ambiguous as it could suggest either a price hike or a price drop. But actually it means only a price hike.

窝案 (wo1 an4)
group crime
The Chinese term literally means a crime committed by a "nest" of people. It often refers to a felony such as bribe taking by a group of accomplices.

爱老虎油 (ai4 lao3 hu3 you2)
I love you
The Chinese word which literally means “love tiger oil” is pronounced similarly to “I love you” in English. The saying comes from a Hong Kong kung fu movie in which the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) heroine is tricked by a Western-educated lover to say the words.

动L (dong4 L)
alive
The term is prevalent throughout the Internet due to shampoo ads featuring Jackie Chan. He used it to indicate fine hair quality that is flexible and lively. Now it is widely used by Netizens to indicate alive and kicking.

肩客 (jian1 ke4)
johnkers
It is a new type of online community sales platform that links registered members only on the Internet with johnkers, or sales agents, taking commission. The sellers are mostly moonlighting office workers offering a variety of services. However, as the platform has been blamed for many fraud cases, it hasn’t been widely accepted in China.

拖尾巴 (tuo1 wei3 ba1)
spill-back
It refers to the partial or full blockage of a road crossing by cars that don’t make it through the traffic lights before they turn red. Police in Shanghai, where traffic jams are common, have started to prevent or solve such congestion.

空怒 (kong1 nu4)
air rage
Disruptive behavior on British passenger aircraft rose 30 percent last year, with alcohol playing a significant part in what the media has dubbed as “air rage.” The most common age group involved was 30-39 and incidents spanned from attacks on crew to in-flight smoking.

喵喵族 (miao1 miao1 zu2)
stray-cat caretakers
Some urban residents in big Chinese cities will offer food, whatever it is, to stray cats whenever and wherever they come across one.

魅领 (mei4 ling3)
charming white-collars
It is a newly coined expression to describe young elites in every walk of life, especially white collars, who are generally deemed to be charming in the sense of career, wealth, health and romance.

情流感 (qing2 liu2 gan3)
virulent love
The Chinese term has the same pronunciation as that of "bird flu" but with a new twist of meaning. It literally means "love flu," referring to love affairs that come and go fast.

搞手族 (gao3 shou3 zu2)
online organizer clan
The term, derived from Cantonese, refers to people who issue Website posts to organize various get-togethers such as mountain climbing, pub crawling and karaoke. Participants usually prepay while the organizer takes a cut from either the Website or the venue provider after each get-together. The monthly return can be 1,000 yuan (US$146).

乙男 (yi3 nan2)
otomen, pinky boy
The Japanese manga “Otomen” and its namesake TV drama features a boy with a secret: the things he really loves are cute dolls, cooking and sewing. The word “otomen” is a pun made of the Japanese word otome, meaning young girl, and the English word "men."

杯具 (bei1 ju4)
tragedy
The word, literally meaning cups in Chinese, is a homophone of the word "tragedy" in Chinese and is widely spreading among Netizens as an exaggerated and humorous expression. The word 餐具, literally meaning tableware, is another choice. 

钓鱼执法(diao4 yu2 zhi2 fa3)
entrapment
Entrapment is the act of a law enforcement agent inducing a person to commit an illegal activity that they would not normally have done.

瘦骨仙 (shou4 gu3 xian1)
bony beauty
For many years, those bony models have been elevated in the fashion circle to the status of an immortal. But as people pay more and more attention to health, the look has gradually lost its appeal.

娃娃装 (wa2 wa2 zhuang1)
baby-doll dress
It refers to the kind of women's wear that features clothing with puffed sleeves, or a sometimes sleeveless, pull-on design and attractive, square neck.
 
寂寞党 (ji4 mo4 dang3)
lonely clan
Some Netizens have taken to the catchphrase that, "What I do is not whatever it is, it is loneliness."These people are nicknamed 寂寞党.

海鸥经理 (hai3 ou1 jing1 li3)
seagull manager
The term is used to describe a management style of interacting with employees only when a problem arises, making hasty decisions about things they have little understanding of, then leaving others to deal with the mess they leave behind.

上帝视角 (shang4 di4 shi4 jiao3)
God’s eye view
In writing, this subject-object problem means an author leaves the point of view of the main actor to start writing about things the characters could not know if the story were in real life. Readers joke that only God can acknowledge all that happens.

素颜 (su4 yan2)
plain face
The term refers to people’s faces without makeup. People like to publish “plain face” pictures of famous people, especially pop stars, online to compare with their “polished” faces. It can also refer to natural scenery without any human decoration.

通勤装 (tong1 qin2 zhuang1)
office outfit
It refers to clothing that is fit for office hours and formal business gatherings.

吸烟装 (xi1 yan1 zhuang1)
tuxedo/smoking jacket
The manly attire that gained popularity in the 1960s has taken a feminine twist and has found its way into women’s wardrobes.

男人婆 (nan2 ren2 po2)
macho woman
It refers to a woman who is preoccupied with the will to gain the upper hand over men, besides her resemblance to a man in behavior.

艳遇 (yan4 yu4)
romantic encounter
When two lonely hearts strike up a relationship after an accidental encounter, it falls into this category. The expression denotes a short-lived affair between a man and a woman who were strangers before they met.

务虚会议 (wu4 xu1 hui4 yi4)
theory-discussing meeting
A typical Chinese style of conference in which participants discuss principles and guidelines for the coming year or events.

氧气美女 (yang3 qi4 mei3 nv3)
jade complexion beauty
The skin of some young women looks like smooth jade and is elastic as if the skin is well nursed in oxygen. The expression literally means “oxygen beauty.”

杠杆女 (gang4 gan3 nv3)
lever women
The term refers to wives who play their advantages to the full to help their husbands succeed in careers. Such women are compared to levers to lift their husbands.

明星脸 (ming2 xing1 lian3)
celebrity copycat
The term, “star face” by its literal meaning in Chinese, refers to those people who look like some celebrities. The newly screened movie “Tracing Shadow” features a flock of look-alikes resembling Jackie Chan, Jet Li, Andy Lau and other movie stars.

手帕交 (shou3 pa4 jiao1)
close female friends
When two women have been such good friends that they have no secrets to hold back from each other, they belong to this category. The expression literally means “handkerchief friendship” as in ancient China a handkerchief is the symbol of sworn sisters.

蛋腚 (dan4 ding4)
sober, composed
The term, “butt of an egg” in its literal sense, is pronounced the same as the Chinese word for calm and composed — 淡定 — and has replaced the correct writing of the Chinese word “calm” on the Internet. “Dàn dìng” became a Chinese buzzword in August 2008 when it was used in Yunnan dialect in the popular comedy movie “Almost Perfect.”

温和腐败 (wen1 he2 fu3 bai4)
mild corruption
It refers to a government official who says his corruption is mild because he takes bribes only after he does something for the briber. In his view, there’s worse corruption when an official takes bribes and yet refuses to return the favor.

太妹 (tai4 mei4)
offbeat girls
The expression is believed to have originated in Taiwan where people mean it to be females in their late teens and early 20s who dawdle around all day and choose to be good for nothing. These girls are the female version of 古惑仔(gu3 huo4 zai3).

攒机 (cuan2 ji1)
DIY computer
It's a kind of computer DIY assembled for personal use, but when it crosses the line to generate illegal profits, lawsuits will ensue over intellectual property rights, as proved in recent years.

花心(hua1 xin1)
unfaithful
The expression is often applied to men who stray away from a faithful relationship with their spouses. It literally means a "flowery heart," as flower is often associated with love or romance in Chinese.

印象分 (yin4 xiang4 fen1)
image point
The popular expression is meant to be the sketchy assessment by others of a person’s overall quality through contact in a short time, rather than insightful judgment after long observation.

青春饭 (qing1 chun1 fan4)
beauty-for-food
Beauty means food in a material world, especially so in showbiz circles, and the theory also lends delicious food for thought about some young material girls keen on easy money or easy success.

代扣族 (dai4 kou4 zu2)
scapegoat drivers
Some Chinese people with a driver’s license but no car to drive will offer their services for payment to take the rap for drivers who violate traffic rules in exchange for losing their driving credits.

楼花 (lou3 hua1)
office complex beauty
It refers to those few most beautiful women within a certain office complex that never fail to turn the heads of both men and women and keep the gossipmongers busy.

豁胖 (huo1 pang3)
showy brag
Some people will blow up the size of their wealth, health and wisdom in front of others in order to make themselves look or sound better than they actually are.

官博 (guan1 bo2)
officials’ blogs
It refers to the real-name blogs of some government officials who usually create blogs just as a show of being close to the people but in reality they seldom update the blogs.

阿拉佛 (a1 la1 fo2)
arafo
The term, derived from Japanese, is a borrowed word which means “around  40.” It refers to well-educated single females aged around 40 who are financially independent and spend lavishly. It has become popular from its use in the namesake Japanese TV series starring Amami Yuki last year.

活血库 (huo2 xue3 ku4)
volunteer blood donor
The term, “live blood bank” by its literal  meaning, refers to volunteer blood donors. Shanghai aims to recruit 10,000  volunteer blood donors this year to be on stand-by for emergency blood supplies  during Shanghai World Expo 2010. They will be made up of medical staff, college  students, soldiers and social volunteers with various blood types.

掏空族 (tao1 kong1 zu2)
emptied clan
The term — which means “hollow out” in Chinese — refers to employees who find themselves running out of new ideas after spending all their time and energy in day-to-day work. They are usually regarded as spiritual victims of fast-paced jobs which deprive them of learning time.

煮男 (zhu3 nan2)
cooking man
It refers to those husbands who enjoy cooking at home by themselves. Cooking used to be a job for women, but now there’s a change as wives also work hard and sometimes earn more than their husbands.

拆迁富 (chai1 qian1 fu4)
get rich through relocation
It refers to people who get decent compensation, either in cash or in kind, after being relocated from their old and possibly dilapidated houses that have been pulled down for urban construction projects.

被时代 (bei4 shi2 dai4)
"by" era
It refers to the current era in which people find many official statistics are watered down and do not reflect the truth. For one example, some universities’ graduation employment rates are manipulated to look higher than reality. In another, many people find their income growth lagging far behind some official figures. In this sense, some graduates would say they are the victims of fake statistics and some workers would claim their income has been “increased” by bloated figures.

毒舌 (du2 she2)
virulent tongue
It often refers to some media-made academics who like to use mean and provocative words in TV talk shows.

玩具男 (wan2 ju4 nan2)
toy man
The borrowed expression from South Korea refers to men aged 20-30 who are poetic in heart and tender toward women but choose to remain single.

优剩女 (you1 sheng4 nv3)
leftover cream
Even among single women who are well past the best age period for marriage, there are some outstanding ladies in terms of beauty, education and taste for life.

蹭凉族 (ceng4 liang2 zu2)
air-con seekers
During the peak of summer, some senior residents or street vendors in big cities will stay all day in subway stations or department stores to keep their cool.

监狱顾问 (jian1 yu4 gu4 wen4)
prison coach
A prison consultant coaches new inmates and their families on strategies to complete their sentences. The prison coach Herb Hoelter helped Bernard Madoff to be transferred to a high-quality prison and acclimatize quickly to jailed life.

中药足球 (zhong1 yao4 zu2 qiu2)
TCM football
The boss of a medicine producer suggests using traditional Chinese medicine to keep Chinese football players healthy and also using the TCM philosophy to diagnose why the team has failed so as to help it improve game results.

软岗位 (ruan3 gang3 wei4)
soft job
The UK government is to spend a billion pounds (US$1.7 billion) on creating 150,000 “soft” public sector jobs for unemployed people. Such socially useful jobs include child carers, dance assistants and tourism ambassadors.

钓鱼短信 (diao4 yu2 duan3 xin4)
smishing
The term refers to the criminal activity of sending text messages to seduce people into giving sensitive personal information such as passwords and credit card details.

文字云 (wen2 zi4 yun2)
word cloud
Word cloud, or wordle, is a piece of text which has been rearranged into a visual pattern of words generated by a Web-based tool. The more a word is repeated among all the text in the system, the bigger the word will be displayed. It is often used to monitor the hot trend of topics.

牛奋男 (niu2 fen4 nan2)
bull-featured men
This expression is used to describe men who work hard without high incomes for their families. They are increasingly popular among young female white-collar workers for their bull-like characteristics, such as loyalty, diligence and sense of responsibility. Their popularity indicates a change in female office workers’s preferences.

蛋糕裙 (dan4 gao1 qun2)
tiered skirt
A kind of women’s wear style made of several horizontal layers, each wider than the one above and divided by stitching.

观音兵 (guan1 yin1 bing1)
women’s page boy
When a man is extremely eager to please women, he will stand by and go out of his way to run errands for them, just like a soldier taking every order from his commander. 观音, or Kuan-yin, is traditionally associated by Chinese people with women, though the Buddha itself is technically a male.

小正太 (xiao3 zheng4 tai4)
shota
The expression is a borrowed word from Japanese referring to handsome teenage boys who are sort of feminine, physically and psychologically.

怂女 (song2 nu3)
incapable and unfaithful women
It refers to women who are incapable either in work or daily life while also being unfaithful to their husbands or boyfriends.

夜蒲 (ye4 pu2)
go nightclubbing
Youngsters hooked on urban nightlife will lose no opportunity to join a party at a pub, cafe or other venue. When used as a noun, the expression refers to this kind of venue. 蒲 in Cantonese means to roam.

塞友 (sai1 you3 )
Symbian fans
The term refers to enthusiasts of smart cell phones which are using the Symbian operating system.

绵羊音 (mian2 yang2 yin1 )
sheep voice
Zeng Yike, a controversial contestant among this year’s “Happy Girl” talent show top 10 finalists, is known for her sheep-like vocals, a special, gentle and trembling voice which is bitterly criticized as unpleasant by some listeners.

电脑狂暴症 (dian4 nao3 kuang2 bao4 zheng4)
computer rage
An abnormal bout of frustration and anger exhibited by a computer user following a computer glitch, like vandalizing the computer or its accessories such as the mouse, or venting to colleagues or anybody present.

失语 (shi1 yu3)
loss of say
The expression originally means partial or total loss of the ability to speak or comprehend spoken or written language. These days it refers to the loss of ability or opportunity to argue or voice one’s opinion.

大股饭 (da4 gu3 fan4)
safe-share scheme
Some state-owned companies undergoing restructure pay lip service instead of doing a serious job of reforming. Everyone becomes a shareholder, and the size of portfolios varies according to people’s rank in the company. The expression is coined from the Chinese catch phrase for 大锅饭, an egalitarian practice of "eating from the same big wok,"which means getting equal share regardless of work done, before China adopted the opening and reform policies.

挨踢人士 (ai1 ti1 ren2 shi4)
IT workers
The expression is a transliteration of IT, the shortened form for information technology.

压力差 (ya1 li4 cha1)
pressure difference
The architectural term refers to the difference in air pressure between indoors and outdoors. When the outer pressure is greater, the pressure difference has a positive value. Experts explained in a press conference that pressure difference was among the main causes of the June 27 accident in which a 13-story building in Shanghai's Minhang District toppled in one piece. Experts said when workers piled earth on one side while they dug a garage on the other side, they created a "pressure difference" on the building's foundations.

捏捏族 (nie3 nie3 zu2)
package crumbling clan
This new group, mainly made up of young people, vents their rage by crunching food packages such as those of instant noodles in supermarkets. Such harmful behavior is widely condemned on the Internet. Experts suggest proper communication and physical exercise are a better way to beat the pressure.

社交商（she4 jiao1 shang1）
SQ, social quotient
The term, first put forward by US scholar Daniel Goleman, refers to the ability to deal with social relations and follows in the style of the IQ (intelligence quotient) and EQ (emotion quotient) concepts. Goleman believes that interpersonal interaction exerts its great influence on our intelligence and other aspects of our lives.

倦鸟族 (juan4 niao3 zu2)
sloth clan, bored-bird clan
An expression used to refer to office workers who, more often than not, feel or look lethargic about their job, offering nothing but inefficient and poor performance and showing a readiness to job-hunt.

养狼计划 (yang3 lang2 ji4 hua4)
rival-fostering project
A project, literally meaning “wolf raising,” proposed by China’s table tennis authorities was meant to cultivate more competitive players in foreign countries to challenge China’s long-held monopoly over the sport. The project includes policies to encourage more talented Chinese to play on behalf of foreign countries while inviting more overseas players to train in China. It got the name because in Chinese language competitors are often referred to as wolves.

众包 (zhong4 bao1)
crowd-source
It refers to the practice of outsourcing a task usually done by an employee or contractor to a large group of people or community in the form of an open appeal.

过度引用 (guo4 du4 yin3 yong4)
overquote
It has become a euphemism for authorities in a Chinese college to report, in concluding their probe into a plagiarism claim, that a professor in the school had “overquoted” from research papers.

置顶 (zhi4 ding3)
sticky status
When a posting or an article is put at the very top of a web page to highlight its popularity, it is known to have a sticky status.

红颜知己 (hong2 yan2 zhi1 ji3)
confidante
When a man meets a woman who is willing to share her secrets or emotional privacies with him and vice versa, the woman is considered as a 红颜知己 in Chinese. In Chinese, 红颜, which is translated literally as red face, traditionally means a beauty.

蓝颜知己 (lan2 yan2 zhi1 ji3)
confidant
As 红颜 usually refers to a woman, 蓝颜, which literally means blue face, refers to males.

集智建房 (ji2 zhi4 jian4 fang2)
wisdom-gathering housing project
Under pressure of rising house prices, some people in several cities have organized to realize their home dreams in a new way. They contribute ideas to the design of new apartments and work as a group to hire a developer. The approach allows them to get the design they want at lower cost.

师奶杀手(shi1 nai3 sha1 shou3)
middle-aged women killer
It refers to a man, especially a showbiz star, who is sexually appealing to middle-aged women instead of younger women. Transliterated from Cantonese, “师奶” refers to those older or middle-aged women.

红毯杀手 (hong2 tan3 sha1 shou3)
red carpet spoiler
It means an actor or actress who is dressed in a distasteful or inappropriate way when walking the red carpet at an event.

控油瓶 (kong4 you2 ping2)
oil control bottles
Shanghai government last month began distributing 250-gram oil measuring bottles with a dispensing spout to help residents control their daily cooking oil usage. Surveys have found an average Shanghai resident consumes about 49 grams of oil each day, 96 percent above the WHO recommended amount of 25 grams.

暑运 (shu3 yun4)
summer rush
College students usually return en masse to their hometowns during summer holidays, contributing to the seasonal traffic rush. The Chinese term is derived from "chun yun," a nationwide transport usage peak around Spring Festival or Chinese Lunar New Year.

米农 (mi3 nong2)
domain traders
People tend to use "corn" to mean "domain" on the Internet since the Chinese term "yuming" (domain) is pronounced similar to "yumi" (corn). Those registrants who hold popular domain names until their values increase are compared to corn farmers taking good care of their crops.

野鸡大学 (ye3 ji1 da4 xue2)
diploma mill
Diploma mill, or bogus university, refers to colleges which issue diplomas to every student regardless of their study track record or exam scores. Their diplomas are not recognized by some employers or formal universities.

火车座 (huo3 che1 zuo4)
restaurant train seat
A kind of soft seat with a high back at a cafe that is long enough to accommodate two persons. The expression comes from the resemblance to the seats on a train.

樱花泡菜粉 (ying1 hua1 pao4 cai4 fen2)
Japan-Korea fan
Cherry blossoms represent the culture of Japan and pickles for Korea. The Chinese word combining these two is not a cuisine but refers to teenagers who are fans of Japanese and Korean dramas, music and pop idols.

眼缘 (yan3 yuan2)
first-sight attraction
If an object or person, usually of the opposite sex, attracts you at first sight, then you and the focus of attention are believed to have 眼缘.

放心债 (fang4 xin1 zhai4)
safe bonds
It refers to US treasury bonds which China holds. Some US officials have been trying to convince the Chinese government that these bonds will not depreciate despite the current economic downturn and a decline in dollar value.

逆商 (ni4 shang1)
adversity quotient
It is the capability of a person to stand firm against setbacks and pull through hard times. A person with a high AQ is able to survive a career crisis.

窜货 (cuan4 huo4)
goods trafficking
It refers to the illegal practice of a retailer buying commodities from an agent elsewhere at a price lower than the local level, then undersell his or her competitors to force them out of the local market.

萌文化 (meng2 wen2 hua4)
manga-girl culture
Japanese manga is never short of cute young girls who can never fail to woo their fans. As a result, products like clothing and accessories that feature girlish designs have become popular with such fans. Teenagers will dress the way toddlers do, while 30-or 40-somethings will dress the way teenagers do, and so on.

残的 (can2 di1)
wheelchair taxi
In Shanghai, a small number of disabled people use battery-powered tricycles as a taxi to earn extra income. But the practice is deemed illegal by traffic police.

克莱登大学 (ke4 lai2 deng1 da4 xue2)
diploma mill
Chinese writer Qian Zhongshu creates a "Carleton University" in his novel "Fortress Besieged," from which the novel's heroine bought a fake PhD paper. The word is now coined by Chinese these days to mean an illegitimate academic institution.

大头症 (da4 tou2 zheng4)
swelling ego
The word, which literally means "big head disease," is applied to those rapidly rising showbiz stars and officials who then turn snobbish and look down on others.

人际泡沫 (ren2 ji4 pao4 mo4)
interpersonal bubble
Refers to getting a bunch of name cards every day only to find you are unfamiliar with most of the people or the hundreds of buddies lining up on your MSN or Facebook but you chat with few of them. It is quite often nowadays that a person with a lonely heart is surrounded by a "social bubble. "

双失青年 (shuang1 shi1 qing1 nian2)
double-loss youth
It refers to youth who lose both their job and lover almost at the same time. Under the current global financial crisis, many young people get dumped by lovers after losing their job because they refuse to maintain an unemployed boyfriend or girlfriend.

晒黑族 (shai4 hei1 zu2）
dark-side exposers
This term refers to a group of people who expose the dark side of society by warning the public and calling for social justice over infringement of consumer rights.

硬盘人 (ying4 pan2 ren2)
out-of-towner
The Chinese expression used in online chat rooms refers to those who come from outside a certain city. It literally means a "hard disc person," as the initials for the pinyin of 外地, meaning out-of-town in English, is WD, the same as the initials for Western Digital, a brand of hard disc.

拼亲 (pin1 qin1)
blind-date pooling
In recent years, it has become a popular practice for young singles in large Chinese cities like Shanghai to take part in a variety of social activities designed for blind dating.

豆芽型 (dou4 ya2 xing2)
frail build
It refers to those youngsters, especially male, who are unduly thin and weak. The Chinese expression is coined for their resemblance to bean sprouts that are typically thin and fragile.

高考房 (gao1 kao3 fang2)
exam-break room
Many parents in large Chinese cities are tending to book a room as a place for a noon break for their child during the three-day national college entrance exams. This allows them to avoid traveling between their home and the examination venue.

黑救护车 (hei1 jiu4 hu4 che1)
illegal ambulance
It refers to mini-buses which pretend to be regular ambulances. They park outside the big hospitals and offer cheap prices to relatives of patients who plan to transfer the patients to other venues. There are no first-aid facilities aboard these buses.

诚信黑榜(cheng2 xin4 hei1 bang3)
bad reputation blacklist
The term generally refers to any blacklist of individuals or businesses that are found to be dishonest. Recently, Shanghai has caught quite a few families which steal electricity and has included them on a blacklist even after they are ordered to pay fines.

御姐(yu4 jie3)
mature and domineering woman
It refers to women 22 to 35 years old who look mature and act domineering. The expression is believed to have been coined from the Japanese game Chanbara Beauty.

老顽童(lao3 wan2 tong2)
old baby
The expression is used in an appreciative way to refer to seniors who are young at heart and often act in a childish way either because they want to amuse others or because they take it as natural.

食游(shí yóu)
food-and-fun tour
While traveling in one's own car is now affordable for more and more Chinese, especially the young, such tours are usually not complete without trying out local delicacies.

学区房(xue2 qu1 fang2)
elite school property
As education authorities require all public schools to enrol only from neighboring communities, many parents will pay a higher price for an apartment in the vicinity of an elite school to ensure their child receives a better education. Such neighborhoods are called 学区(xue2 qu1).

欺实马(qi1 shi2 ma3)
A far-fetched excuse
The term literally means a "dishonest horse" and is pronounced like the English phrase for 70 kilometers per hour. A young man who drove above the speed limit killed a pedestrian in Hangzhou in May, but police initially insisted the car was only going 70 kilometers per hour. However, video camera footage showed the driver was traveling faster.

僵尸电脑(jiang1 shi1 dian4 nao3)
zombie computer
The term refers to computers linked to the Internet and controlled by a hacker, computer virus, or trojan horse. Such computers will be used to conduct a distributed denial-of-service attack or send junk e-mails under the order of hackers. As the computers are acting without their user's knowledge, they are referred to as zombies.

祈福笔(qi3 fu2 bi3)
lucky pen
It refers to pens that are claimed to be blessed by Confucius. Business crooks hawk these pens to high school students taking the national college entrance examinations by saying such pens bring good luck.

流感派对(liu2 gan3 pai4 dui4)
swine flu party
Some Americans plan to throw a party to deliberately expose others to the H1N1 flu virus in order to acquire some immunity to the disease. US health officials warned that such behavior had no scientific grounds and could spread the flu.

人肉布景板 (ren2 rou4 bu4 jing3 ban3)
human photo scene
Film stars and other showbiz icons attract considerable attention from fans, who often ask them to pose for a photo so that they can later show it to others. The celebrities have become a prop in the photo for such fans.

篱笆女 (li2 ba1 nv3)
starry-eyed woman
At a popular Website called liba, which means fence in English, some women post messages setting outrageously high standards for a future husband. The expression is used in a derogatory manner because these women don't meet their own criteria they demand in a husband.

时装偶像 (shi2 zhuang1 ou3 xiang3)
fashion icon
It refers to a well-known person who unknowingly promotes a fashion brand after he or she wears the clothing in public. The United States First Lady Michelle Obama is an excellent example.

软裁 (ruan3 cai2)
soft layoff/insidious layout
Some layoffs are done in a subtle manner. Some companies move an employee to a less important or lower pay position or send him or her on frequent business trips without covering the trip's expenses.

洗虾粉 (xi3 xia1 fen3)
crayfish wash powder
It is a washing powder, with citric acid and bleach as the main ingredients, widely used by restaurants in Shanghai to clean crayfish. The powder was banned by local authorities as it violates the country's food safety rules.

地铁剧 (di4 tie3 ju4)
Metro drama
Commuters on the city's subway system often witness mini dramas on Metro platforms and cars. The dramas are without dialogue ?just subtitles and background music.

夯 (hang1)
hot
The Chinese word means "ram”-the action of hardening earth with a heavy object. The word sounds close to the English word "hot.? media first used it when describing a popular thing or person.

炒贴专家 (chao3 tie1 zhuan1  jia1)
post-promoter
The word refers to people or companies that register many online IDs to reply to online posts so that they remain on the first page of a discussion group and gain more clicks. The posts usually promote online businesses.

安瓶 (an1 ping2)
ampoule
An ampoule, also ampule, originally was a small bottle containing injection liquid. Nowadays "beauty ampoules'are popular among brides as they contain a concentrated essence to keep their face in good condition.

梦田族 (meng4 tian2 zu2)
farmland dreamer
It refers to young people who live in big cities but long for an easier life in rural areas. In Shanghai, people now can rent a small plot and hire farmers to do the planting work at an annual cost of 3,000 yuan (US$440).

网络庐舍 (wang3 luo4 lu2 she4)
Internet loser
It is a group of people with jobs who spend more than two hours on the Internet for entertainment every day, thus making no progress in their career. “Lu she?imitates the sound of loser in English.
 
富二代 (fu4 er4 dai4)
The second rich generation
The term refers to children of rich families in China who are usually born with a silver spoon. Unlike their parents making fortunes from scratch, they are entitled to inherit huge assets at birth. With strong financial backgrounds, this second generation features in media headlines for their extravagant spending on luxury cars and arrogant attitudes that annoy the public.

裸体出口 (luo3 ti3 chu1 kou3)
nude export
In order to boost exports during an economic slowdown, some Chinese toy factories have decided to export products unpainted or just semi-finished in a way to evade increasing technical demands on toy standards in the United States and Europe.

开口费 (kai1 kou3 fei4)
report money
Opposite to hush money collected by unethical journalists, report money refers to the page fees collected by magazines from article writers before publication. Some postgraduates, PhD students and college professors chose to pay the money so that they can get enough published articles to graduate or get promotion.
 
卡哇伊 (ka3 wa1 yi1)
cute, lovely
Young Netizens and faddish people tend to use the expression, a transliteration from the Japanese word kawaii, to describe anything that is lovely, agreeable or acceptable.

群殴 (qun2 ou1)
group fight
This term originally means a physical group fight. However, as job market pressure increases, college students use the term to refer to company group interviews, in which job candidates are organized into panels to discuss topics and compete with each other.

强势 (qiang2 shi4)
domineering
It refers these days to a person who is assertive and sometimes high-handed, either within a family, a company or a country.

小巷总理(xiao3 xiang4 zong3 li3)
neighborhood mediators
The Chinese term literally means "premier of the lanes." It refers to China's grassroots cadres who mediate everything in neighborhood communities.
 
啤酒眼(pi2 jiu3 yan3)
beer goggles
When a person becomes drunk enough to find physically unattractive people beautiful, he is said to be wearing beer goggles.

傍名牌(bang4 ming2 pai2)
imitated brands
Some businesses name their products or retail outlets similarly to well-known brands to attract customers, misleading them in thinking the copycat is selling the real thing. It is also a phenomenon of the shanzhai culture.

拼盘演唱会(pin1 pan2 yan3 chang4 hui4)
mixed concert
The term “pin pan” means combo platter in Chinese and stands for a concert starring more than one (often a dozen) singer or band. Each will perform a couple of songs in what is usually a commercial or sponsored event.

秀霸 (xiu4 ba4)
runway doyen
Some top fashion models are so popular that they have to undertake whirlwind, jet-setting tours around the world to get to all the catwalks during the peak season, giving them little time to take a break.

魔鬼训练 (mo2 gui3 xun4 lian4)
hell training
It is derived from the Hell Week training at the US Navy SEALs that is known for its outrageously demanding training sessions. It has been used these days to refer to any training program that is either physically or psychologically demanding.

拆违 (chai1 wei2)
demolish illegal buildings
The Chinese term is an abbreviation of a longer phrase which means “demolishing illegal buildings.” Many urban home owners have tried to expand their living space by erecting illegal additional buildings.

波鞋 (bo1 xie2)
sneakers
The expression literally means ball shoes, as 波 is Cantonese slang for ball. The expression is very popular in Hong Kong and has come into use on the Chinese mainland.

橡皮鸡蛋(xiang4 pi2 ji1 dan4)
bouncing egg, rubber egg
Customers in some cities recently complained that the yoke of some chicken eggs they bought turned hard and elastic after being boiled. Authorities have started investigations, but some say it could be caused by a poisonous feed.

有氧搏击操 (you2 yang3 bo2 ji1 cao1)
kickboxing
It is a type of fitness exercise popular in urban areas that combines boxing, karate, tae-kwondo and dance with strong, upbeat music.

厚黑学 (hou4 hei1 xue2)
brazen-wicked
The expression comes from a namesake book written by a Chinese man, Li Zongwu, in the early 20th century, commenting on dishonest and backdoor tricks used to climb the political ladder. These days, any ploy to gaining a career advantage featuring backdoor tricks falls into this category.

跟单货 (gen1 dan1 huo4)
knockoff products
The term refers to commodities, especially in the fashion business, that copy authentic products but use substandard material.

春困 (chun1 kun4)
vernal fatigue
Late spring and early summer is traditionally believed a time for people, especially the youngsters, to easily feel listless and sleepy.

手袋峰会 (shou3 dai4 feng1 hui4)
the Summit of Purses
The Summit of Purses refers to activities attended by first ladies of country heads when their husbands are busy in official conferences. Those so-called purse summits usually include charity events, health forums and tourism promotions.

灰记者 (hui1 ji4 zhe3)
unethical journalist
The term, which literally means a “grey reporter,” refers to unethical journalists, especially those who receive bribes and help cover up scandals. The term was created after a scandal last year in Shanxi Province in which over 60 real or fake journalists went to one of the mine disaster sites in the province asking for hush money.

省长 (sheng3 zhang3)
chief thrifty officer
The term originally means in Chinese the governor of a province but now it is also used to describe those who are extremely thrifty and even stingy as “sheng",the first character in the term, means a province but also “thrifty.”

城管(cheng2 guan3)
urban administration, chengguan
The term means the city or urban administration in Chinese. The job of urban administrative inspectors is to enforce urban planning and administration. They also keep order in the street markets and deal with individual peddlers. Now, the Romanized spelling of this Chinese term, chengguan, is sometimes used directly in English news stories.

糗事 (qiu2 shi4)
faux pas, gaffe
Young people use this Chinese expression to refer to those occurrences that embarrass one or both parties, either because of a slip of the tongue, improper act or misunderstanding.

牛皮癣 (niu2 pi2 xuan3)
street spam
The Chinese term literally means psoriasis, a common but annoying skin disease. It is now often used figuratively to describe usually shoddy printed ads or signs unsightly plastered on street walls, trees, utility poles, telephone booths or other public places.

三低男 (san1 di1 nan2)
three-low man
The term refers to men who keep a low profile before their wife instead of being a male chauvinist, pose low risk of income problems because of steady, though not high, wages, and set low limits on their wife's freedom.

植入式广告 (zhi2 ru4 shi4 guang3 gao4)
product placement
This refers to the practice of intentionally showing the brand of a product in a movie to promote it in an unostentatious way. For instance, in the popular movie “If You Are the One,” certain brands of cell phones and an airline company are displayed.

桌游 (zhuo1 you2)
board game
Board games didn’t gain popularity in China until recent years. The Chinese expression literally means a table game.
 
人才抄底 (ren2 cai2 chao1 di3)
recruit talents at bottom price
Some employers regard the global recession as a great opportunity to get high-quality professionals for a relatively low cost. Several overseas recruitment efforts have focused on overseas Chinese talents, more of whom are willing to work in China.

白菜价 (bai2 cai4 jia4)
dirt cheap
In China, if someone says that a product is being sold at the “cabbage price,” he means it is as cheap as dirt. Cabbage is usually regarded as one of the cheapest vegetables in the market.

银色浪潮 (yin2 se4 lang4 chao2)
silver tide
The term is a metaphor of a social phenomenon as the aging population is expanding rapidly in Shanghai and other big cities around China.

撞脸 (zhuang4 lian3)
doppelganger, look-alike
The Chinese term literally means “clash of faces,” which refers to two people who look very much like each other.

囧一代 (jiong3 yi2 dai4)
orz generation
It is derived from a Japanese emoticon and refers to young adults who face challenges brought on by a tight job market or frustration with finding a spouse. The word orz refers to a person kneeling and bowing in defeat.

速配 (su4 pei4)
speed group dating
White-collar class members’ problems with finding a soul partner have spawned group dating activities, some in the form of a TV show, to help match up young lonely hearts.

飞毛腿 (fei1 mao2 tui3)
bargain hunter
Some young people are enthusiastic bargain hunters at all kinds of sales or service promotions. The expression originally refers to someone who is a fast runner.

黑哨 (hei1 shao4）
match-fixing referee, cheating
The term translates literally as “black whistle” and refers to calls by match-fixing referees in sports games. Now it refers to all unfair verdicts.

白领炮灰团（bai2 ling3 pao4 hui1 tuan2）
white-collar cannon fodder
The term refers to office workers who struggle for a better life by sacrificing their free time and jeopardizing health through often working overtime to keep their jobs.

走班族 (zou3 ban1 zu2）
walk-to-work clan
The phrase refers to those who choose to go to work on foot instead of taking buses or cars in order to avoid traffic jams and to keep themselves fit.

单片女王 (dan1 pian4 nv3 wang2)
single-hit queen
This refers to those female stars that become “red hot” after shooting only one film, TV series or advertisement but are never able to repeat the success.

乒乓效应 (ping1 pang1 xiao4 ying4)
ping-pong effect
A mobile phone owner may find the signal goes bad when standing at the cross-over area of two cellular base stations. That's because the phone is covered by both stations and the wireless connection constantly switches between the two, giving a "ping-pong effect."

近景魔术（jin4 jing3 mo2 shu4）
close-up magic
Also known as table magic, the trick is played amidst audience members or even one-on-one. The magician uses everyday items as props like name cards and coins. Magician Lu Chen became a hit after performing close-up magic on a CCTV show.

弹性退休 (tan2 xing4 tui4 xiu1)
flexible retirement
Most Chinese state employees must retire at fixed ages by law — men at 60 and women at 55. But many people are calling for flexible arrangements whereby employees and employers can negotiate to postpone the retirement ages, say to 68.

丁士族 （ding1 shi4 zu2）
DINS
The expression is used mainly in Taiwan where it means families that enjoy a double income but without sex because the husband and wife are too preoccupied with their work to have the mood or time for sex.

烘焙鸡 (hong1 bei4 ji1)
home page
This term, meaning literally “baked chicken” in Chinese, is a comical transliteration used by Netizens for the English words “home page.” The pronunciation of the Chinese term is quite similar to the English phrase.

有毒资产 (you3 du2 zi1 chan3)
toxic assets
It refers to various asset categories hard hit by the financial crisis, such as subprime mortgages. Use of “toxic” became widespread as any person, bank or organization holding subprime mortgages or related assets became financially debilitated.

僵尸银行 (jiang1 shi1 yin2 hang2)
zombie bank
The term refers to a bank that cannot lend money because its liabilities are greater than its assets, but it stays in business thanks to government support.

网店装修工 (wang3 dian4 zhuang1 xiu1 gong1)
Web store builders
It refers to Web technology veterans who help design Web pages for online shop owners to attract more customers. Their responsibilities are compared to apartment decoration workers, but Web store builders use pictures, flash and music clips instead of construction materials.

恋检 (lian4 jian3)
love tests
A professor at Nankai University in China recently invented a test to determine if two people should start a relationship. It aims to analyze the values, personalities and behaviors of each in line with the principles of a Couple-Centered Approach.

回炉 (hui2 lu2)
re-education
The Chinese translates literally as “back to the furnace,” meaning “recycling,” and is now used figuratively to mean returning to college for re-education after a few years of work.

漂绿 (piao3 lv4)
greenwash
This term, a portmanteau of green and whitewash, is often deemed as the unjustified appropriation of environmental virtue by companies, governments, other organizations or politicians to spin their products or policies as environment-friendly.

票房毒药 (piao4 fang2 du2 yao4)
box office flop
The term refers to a famous actor or actress who demands high payment but more often than not their movies would be a disaster in box office. Hollywood film star Nicole Kidman was once identified as a box office flop by Forbes magazine.

夹心阶层 (jia1 xin1 jie1 ceng2)
sandwich class
It is an informal term referring to lower middle class people who feel “squeezed” in society. They are not that poor to receive government financial support, but they are not able to live the decent life they would like to have.

可爱实力 (ke3 ai4 shi2 li4)
kawaii power
Japan recently appointed three young women as cultural envoys to boost its “soft power.” Japan’s Foreign Ministry officials said the country wanted people abroad to feel close to the envoys. The term is a variation of the “smart power” advocated by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

笋盘 (sun3 pan2)
dream property
The term refers to a house or apartment that is cheap but actually worth more and usually hard to come by. It is a Cantonese dialect term meaning a good buy in property.

恶播 (e4 bo1)
the vicious TV show
This phrase, meaning literally “vicious broadcasting,” has been popping up in Chinese media reports and online posters recently after several provincial TV stations telecast the same series using aggressive and unconventional methods in order to attract audiences. Some broadcast two or three episodes of the series more than 10 times a day, others presented an “abridged” version to “outplay” other TV stations. The phenomenon reflects a serious shortage of good TV products and lack of effective market regulations in the outlying country regions.

E点通 (E dian3 tong1)
eletronic information guide
It refers to electronic machines now being installed in major hotels in Shanghai. Touch their screens and you will find out all kinds of cultural and tourism information to help you discover the city’s commercial attributes.

崩溃 (beng1 kui4)
breakdown
A colloquial expression that is used by young people frequently these days to mean you can not hold on to emotional stress or heavy work any more.

鬼马 (gui3 ma3)
witty
The expression is often used these days to describe a person who is sharp-minded and humorous, and prone to taking weird actions or saying unexpected words.

戏骨 (xi4 gu3)
chameleon-like actor
"Drama bone," as this term translates literally, refers to actors who are very good at performing a wide range of different roles in stage plays or movies, though they may not be famous.

力挺 (li4 ting3)
stalwart support
The expression is used these days to mean offering strong and public support to someone, especially when he or she is embroiled in a scandal or is the target of public accusation.

零投诉 (ling2 tou2 su4)
zero complaint
When a company provides good quality products or services, it will receive zero complaint from customers. Some local governments also aim for "zero complaint" from their citizens.

淘一代 (tao2 yi2 dai4）
online shoppers
This term refers to the ever-growing young population who are getting used to shopping online. Shanghai, in particular, has the biggest number of online shoppers in China.

奢华背包客 (she1 hua2 bei1 bao1 ke4)
flashpacker
This term is derived from the words "flash" and "backpacker" to describe people who like to travel with a backpack filled with a laptop, MP3 player or other PDAs but staying in a luxury hotel.

购房落户（gou4 fang2 luo4 hu4）
house-for-residency policy
Many governments in major cities in China, such as Hangzhou and Chengdu, have rolled out new policies to encourage migrant people to purchase houses so that they can get a local hukou or local residency paper. The policy is designed to boost the local real estate market.

玻璃屋 (bo1 li wu1)
glass room
It refers to transparency in corporate governance, especially with regard to executive compensation.

哈中族 (ha1 zhong1 zu2)
chinophile
More and more people in the world are showing an interest in Chinese elements, as seen in frequent scenes featuring items of Chinese culture like chopsticks, kung fu and qipao in foreign movies.

中美国 (zhong1 mei3 guo2)
chimerica
Economist Niall Ferguson coined the word to emphasize the close and interdependent relations between the world's two major economies, China and America.

沪漂 (hu4 piao1)
Shanghai drifter
The Chinese term literally means "floating in Shanghai." It refers to anyone who hopes to make it in Shanghai but has yet to find a stable and satisfactory job.

套大空 (tao4 da4 kong1)
cliche plus big empty words
The term refers to politically correct but nonsensical speeches and remarks. They are usually trite and hackneyed.

月光门牌 (yue4 guang1 men2 pai2)
moonlight doorplate
Shanghai has recently installed some new doorplates for local houses. These new plates absorb light during the day and become illuminated at night for about 12 hours.

情义男 (qing2 yi4 nan2)
man of love and loyalty
This Chinese term was first used about the man who carried the body of his wife piggyback on a moped home after his wife died in the Sichuan Province earthquake last May. After his action was revealed by the media, he was called "a man of love and loyalty."

绿色新政(lv4 se4 xin1 zheng4)
Green New Deal
Top economists and world leaders are working on a "Green New Deal" to create millions of jobs, slash poverty and avert environmental disaster in an attempt to battle the global downturn and revive the world economy.

太空货币 (tai4 kong1 huo4 bi4)
QUID
The term stands for "Quasi Universal Intergalactic Denomination," a prototype for a possible future type of currency for use by space tourists. This is based on the assumption that the normal currency of notes and coins will not be able to be used by space travelers during their expeditions.

试民 (shi4 min2)
tester
This term refers to people who agree to test use new products or services provided by manufacturers or service providers. They usually submit reports on the quality and effectiveness.

呛声 (qiang4 sheng1)
vociferous challenge, protest
The term is derived from the dialect of southern China's Fujian Province. It means making public challenges or demonstrating one's anger against certain decisions, proposals or public figures by speaking out loudly.

垄奴 (long3 nu2)
monopoly slave
The term refers to consumers of services or products from monopoly companies who have to accept the service providers' clauses no matter how unfair they may be.

砖家 (zhuan1 jia1)
charlatan
The term, popular on the Internet and with a negative connotation, generally refers to those people who like to brag about their limited knowledge and promote themselves as "experts." The pronunciation of the phrase in Chinese is exactly the same as "expert" and the first character means "brick" in Chinese, which implies these "experts" are so shameless that their faces are tough enough to withstand the force of a brick.

剩斗士 (sheng4 dou4 shi4)
leftover love seeker
The term shares the same pronunciation as that for popular Japanese cartoon character "Saint Saiya" in Chinese and refers to men and women who, for whatever reason, have not found their right marriage partners at an age traditionally believed way past their prime. But they still keep looking.

裁员滚滚 (cai2 yuan2 gun3 gun3)
continuous layoff
This concocted phrase sounds similar to a popular term meaning "having fortune flooding to you" in Chinese. However, the first two characters have changed from "fortune" in the popular saying to "laying off." So, in the face of economic downturn, Chinese jokingly used this new phrase to replace the popular one as a greeting during the recent Chinese New Year holidays.

云娱乐 (yun2 yu2 le4)
cloud entertainment
Based on the idea of "cloud computing," an Internet-based use of computer technology, the term refers to home entertainment such as Web-infused television environments in which customized services and programs are prepared on Web servers and delivered to consumer electronic devices, saving users a lot of money on in-home entertainment systems. Cloud here means the Internet.

僵尸企业 (jiang1 shi1 qi3 ye4)
zombie companies
The term, first used by Business Week magazine in a recent issue, refers to companies that receive government bailout funding and continue to operate even though they are nearly defunct. The debtors lean on support from lenders or the government to stay in business. Zombie companies can drag healthier rivals into insolvency.

爬梯 (pa2 ti1)
party
Chinese Netizens these days use this term, which literally means "ladder-climbing," as a substitute expression for "party" as the Chinese expression sounds just like the English word.

л型人才 (л xing2 ren2 cai2)
л-type talent
It is a kind of person that has good command of two fields of professional skills as well as having expertise in management and administration. The two professional skills are the two vertical strokes while the administrative expertise is the horizontal one.

百搭简历 (bai3 da1 jian3 li4)
all-fitting resume
It is a kind of resume that job seekers prepare in such an ambiguous way that it apparently meets the requirements of many kinds of job.

海投 (hai3 tou2)
resume flooding
As the job market turns grim, job hunters send their resumes in large numbers randomly to various companies in the hope of scooping a few chances of being interviewed.

悠客 (you1 ke4)
no-hurry tourist
Those who take their time and don't mind how long they linger at each tourist site or destination.

贺岁片 (he4 sui4 pian1)
New Year movie
"Hesuipian," which refers to movies celebrating the New Year, often premiere between Christmas and Spring Festival. Most such movies are comedies and often have an all-star cast. Chinese director Feng Xiaogang is the most famous in this genre. Total box office revenue of movies he directed has exceeded 1 billion yuan (US$146.26 million) with his latest hit "If You Are the One."

二维码 (er4 wei2 ma3)
QR Code
A QR Code is a matrix code invented by Japanese corporation Denso-Wave in 1994. The QR is derived from "Quick Response." Camera mobile phone users with code-reading software can scan the image of the QR Code and be relinked to a Website that this code represents.

周边产品 (zhou1 bian1 chan3 ping3)
peripheral goods
A concert by a popular band, a hit TV show, or even a designer's exhibition can spin off a variety of consumer goods ranging from school supplies to fashion accessories, decorated with the characters' figure or logo. The goods meet the needs of fans and are also a good way to cash in on the popularity of idols.

返聘 (fan3 pin4)
returnment
The term means inviting retired employees to return to the workforce, a phenomenon of an ageing society where fewer people are contributing to an occupational pension.

二手短信 (er4 shou3 duan3 xin4)
second-hand SMS
It refers to mobile phone messages received from, and sent to, others. There are many such messages of greeting in circulation during holiday seasons. Using them displays a lack of originality, and even sincerity, as they are never your own.

贱男 (jian4 nan2)
a loose man
It refers to promiscuous men, especially those in the entertainment industry, who hop from bed to bed or who never treat love or marriage seriously.

茭白 (jiao1 bai2)
worried white-collar
The Chinese term, originally the name of the wild rice shoot (a vegetable), is now used to describe a worried white-collar worker plagued by the fear of being laid off amid the global economic recession. The first character of this Chinese term sounds like the word “worried” and the second here stands for “white collar.”

影子艺人 (ying3 zi yi4 ren2)
showbiz doppelganger
This refers to an ordinary person whose facial features resemble a famous artist, allowing him to earn an income from masquerading as the star at low-end parties and gatherings to entertain the audience or guests.

读奏会 (du2 zou4 hui4)
reading-musical concert
The term refers to a concert that consists of episodes of both reading and musical performances. The term’s pronunciation in Chinese is the same as “solo concert” but with the word “solo” replaced by “reading.”

睡眠机器 (shui4 mian2 ji1 qi4)
sleep machine
The high-tech machine is designed to treat insomnia by physically stimulating some part of insomniacs’ brains to help them quickly enter a state of deep sleep.

网络私教 (wang3 luo4 si1 jiao4)
online private instructor
The term refers to private fitness instructors who coach trainees via the Internet. Such instructors are becoming more and more popular among young people as their charges are usually lower than that of gymnasiums or fitness centers.

心灵超市 (xin1 ling2 chao1 shi4)
soul-soothing supermarket
This term refers to stores selling empty bottles, bags and containers bearing words such as "No more pressure!", "Sleep eight hours" or "Wanna happy weekend." The buyers use these containers to carry water or other daily necessities as a way to alleviate their mental stress.

钝感力 (dun4 gan3 li4)
power of insensitivity
It is the ability to face up to setbacks and failures by playing down the painful sting they actually inflict on the sufferer. It comes from the namesake novel by Japanese author Junichi Watanabe.

降价死 (jiang4 jia4 si3)
price-cut death
It refers to the phenomenon that once the government orders a price cut on a certain drug, the manufacturers will immediately stop making the product and then repackage the "dead" drug under a new name to sell for higher prices.

赤脚律师 (chi4 jiao3 lv4 shi1)
bare-foot lawyer
The term refers to "grassroots" consultants offering legal assistance to farmers. They usually have a secondary education background and some basic knowledge about the law but are not certified lawyers.

大肚子经济 (da4 du4 zi jing1 ji4)
pregnancy economy
Pregnant women have become a force in propelling today's economy as a result of a new baby boom in China. The pregnancy economy consists of child care products, maternity clothing, yoga or health care courses designed for mothers-to-be and particular support services during maternal confinement.

诛三 (zhu1 san1)
banish the mistress
This term refers to some wives' efforts to force mistresses to leave their husbands. The term comes from "zhu xian," meaning "killing fairies," which became popular after a fiction based on this topic became a bestseller. The word "zhu" means "kill" in Chinese, and the word "san" (three or third) implies mistress, since the "other woman" is often deemed as "the third party" in Chinese.

雷招 (lei2 zhao1)
outrageous measure
The Chinese term literally means a "shocking measure." It refers to any shocking, extraordinary measures, such as unexpected sales promotion schemes offered to buyers visiting housing exhibitions.

网络狗仔队 (wang3 luo4 gou3 zai3 dui4)
Internet paparazzi
It refers to Netizens who wantonly search and distribute rumors or private information about innocent people on the Internet.

得体 (de2 ti3)
dirty
This Chinese phrase originally meant appropriate, decent and in good taste. But since it sounds like the English word "dirty," the phrase is now often used by Netizens to describe anyone who keeps an amiable facade but harbors a vicious heart.

试民 (shi4 min2)
product tester
This term refers to people who agree to test new products or services provided by manufacturers or companies. They are either paid for doing the test or allowed to keep the products provided to them. But they are usually required to submit feedback on the quality or usage suitability of such products and services.

宅内消费 (zhai2 nei4 xiao1 fei4)
at-home consumption
With a financial downturn sweeping across the world, it has become a new trend to switch from consumption away from home to consumption at home. It includes eating at home and watching movies at home.

百元周 （bai3 yuan2 zhou1）
100-yuan week
Some white-collar workers in Shanghai have started to change their bourgeoisie lifestyle for a more thrifty one in face of the ongoing financial crisis. Some put online posters among popular BBS communities to call on people to control their expenditure within 100 yuan from Monday to Friday, including costs on food, traffic, entertainment, shopping and sport activities.

抄底游 (chao1 di3 you2)
rock-bottom price travel
As many airlines and hotels have started to cut their prices amid the global financial downturn, some Chinese take advantage of the opportunity to embark on overseas travel at much lower costs than before.

山寨版 (shan1 zhai4 ban3)
cheap copy
This term, meaning literally the "mountain village edition," is widely used to describe cheap copies of any known products, programs, events or even architecture. It was first applied to cheap imitations of brand name cell phones produced by individuals or small shops in southern China and now it refers to an inexpensive copy of anything that’s well known or popular.

减副 (jian3 fu4)
reduce deputy posts
The Chinese term has the same pronunciation as that for "reducing burden," but it replaces the Chinese word for "burden" with one that means "deputy posts." In some Chinese cities and townships there are simply too many deputies allocated to a single administrative chief. Such bureaucratic padding has drawn wide criticism and actions to reduce the number of such deputies.

机械舞 (ji1 xie4 wu3)
popping dance
A type of dance similar to break dance, which features tightening and flexing of the muscles, just like a robot.

炒婚 (chao3 hun1)
wedding fanfare
China's champion gymnast Yang Wei disputes online criticism of his ostentatious wedding ceremony, saying love for his bride Yang Yun was his focus and some of the luxurious aspects were from sponsoring businesses.

末端时尚 (mo4 duan1 shi2 shang4)
tip-top fashion 
It refers to trendy hairstyling and manicures pursued by many young women. As the makeover involves the woman's head hair and fingernails and toes, it is hence called "tip-top" fashion.

快速时尚 (kuai4 su4 shi2 shang4)
fast fashion
Also known as high-street fashion, it involves shoppers getting the latest clothes just a few weeks after they first appear on the catwalk and at reasonable prices.

私享家 (si1 xiang3 jia1)
person of free spirit
The word is a homonym with "thinker" in Chinese and means literally a "person of private enjoyment." But it actually refers to people who pursue health, leisure and an independent lifestyle. They have their own ideas, pick their own place to stay and share leisure time with family and friends, but always keep some time for their own. They also tend to maintain a place of privacy in their heart and try to "privatize" their enjoyment.

涉黑 (she4 hei1)
gang-related crimes
Chinese rock musician Zang Tianshuo has been arrested by Beijing police for a suspected role in several gangland activities. It is the tip of a social problem in which a few government officials and celebrities are in cahoots with local gangsters.

好人卡 (hao3 ren2 ka3)
nice guy card
This is today's answer to the "dear John letter" of the 1940s. A girl may turn down an admirer by saying "You are a nice guy, but I'm sorry we are not suitable." So if a guy says he has "received a nice guy card" that means he has been rejected. The "card" has also developed into "nice guy pop culture." Some designers are creating "nice guy" cards and sell them online.

纸片人 (zhi3 pian4 ren2)
paper man
Many girls dream to have a super slim body, just as thin as a piece of paper. So, this term is often used to describe anyone who is sadly underweight. It may also mean someone who is sensitive and fragile.

洗澡蟹 (xi3 zao4 xie4)
bathed crab
Late autumn and early winter is the season for hairy crabs, one of the most favored delicacies of people living in Shanghai and its surrounding areas. Among hairy crabs, those produced from the Yangcheng Lake are deemed as the very best and people are willing to pay big money for them. Crooked dealers, however, tend to bring in cheaper, and perhaps inferior, crabs from other places and dip them in the Yangcheng Lake for a few days or weeks. They then sell those "bathed crabs" as the genuine product for higher prices.

金融海啸 (jin1 rong2 hai3 xiao4)
financial tsunami
People often use the expression to describe, if not exaggerate, the current financial crisis that is looming large across the world.

长跑令 (chang2 pao3 ling4)
long jog requirement
The Chinese Ministry of Education has asked students across the country to take a long jog every morning from October 26 through to April 30, in an attempt to improve their physical condition. Under the plan, grade-five and grade-six students will run 1,000 meters per day, middle school students 1,500 meters, and high school and university students 2,000 meters. The compulsory jogging has attracted protests from parents who worry their children will be too tired after the morning exercises to focus on their studies.

民间食神 (min2 jian1 shi2 shen2)
popular foodie
The term refers to ordinary gastronomes who are fond of sharing their experiences on Websites and making comments on restaurants that they have visited. They have been attracting a growing number of followers and beginning to influence the culinary trends among the public and even in the catering industry.

螺蛳壳 (luo2 si1 ke2)
tiny space, small apartment
The Chinese term literally means a "snail shell," but it is used figuratively to describe a tiny space or a very small apartment.

民心工程 (min2 xin1 gong1 cheng2)
heart-winning project
It refers to a project which benefits ordinary people, such as building affordable housing for low-income earners.

鸡冻 (ji1 dong4)
excited
The term means literally "chicken jelly." Since its pronunciation is the same as the word "excited" in Chinese, it is usually used in online context to replace the conventional phrase.

豆腐帐 (dou4 fu1 zhang4)
tofu ledger
The term was used to describe account books made by tofu street sellers who wrote down each sale clearly and counted all the costs and profits at the end of each month. But now it refers to detailed accounts of personal expenditure. Many white-collar workers today love to jot down and share their everyday spending record on the Internet.

打飞的 (da3 fei1 di1)
hail air taxi
Some people take planes as ordinary taxis to somewhere simply for shopping or an examination. People jokingly call it "hailing an air taxi." For example, more than 200 students from a city in southwest China took planes to Hong Kong during the National Day holidays to take the American Scholastic Aptitude Test, one equivalent of China's college entrance examination.

电脑脸 (dian4 nao3 lian3)
computer face
Despite its many positive attributes, the Internet does change people's lifestyle. After spending hours in front of a computer every day, people gradually look haggard, expressionless, dour and numb to real life and other people. They all have a "computer face."

待机消费 (dai4 ji1 xiao1 fei4)
optimal buy
This Chinese phrase comprises two parts, the first meaning literally the "standby mode" of a mobile phone and the second part "consumption." Since the first part can also be interpreted as "waiting for an opportunity" in Chinese, this phrase is now used to mean "consumption at an optimum time," such as purchasing consumer goods during a sales or promotion season. It's the opposite of "impulsive purchase."

看野眼 (kan4 ye3 yan3)
look around distractedly
This is a colloquial term in Shanghai dialect meaning looking around aimlessly, absent-mindedly and distractedly. Traffic authorities say many road accidents have resulted from motorists looking away from the road in an absent-minded or distracted manner.

震撼 (zhen4 han4)
shocked, dumbfounded
As a general tendency, Netizens love to use powerful or exaggerated words and phrases to express their feelings. So, they usually employ this Chinese phrase meaning literally "shocking" or "shocked" to say that they are surprised.

网申 (wang3 shen1)
apply online
Internet has saved job applicants the trouble of whirlwind visits to human resources offices of companies but the flip side of the story is that only a precious few of their applications on the Internet will get an answer.

网恋 (wang3 lian4)
BBS love, virtual love
Internet-based love is also one of the spin-offs of the modern world and it either comes to nothing, grows into true love, or plays into a cunning hand.

软装 (ruan3 zhuang1)
soft decoration
The arrangement of potted plants, framed photos, oil paintings and other artworks or accessories in a house is called soft decoration, as compared to the interior decoration featuring plumbing and flooring.

软性技能 (ruan3 xing4 ji4 neng2)
soft skill
In addition to professional know-how, an employee will be viewed favorably by an employer if he or she possesses personal qualities such as good communication and expression skills and a strong team spirit.

草台 (cao3 tai2)
makeshift; low-quality
This term usually refers to a makeshift stage used for providing entertainment performances in rural areas. Now it is widely used to mean anything that is makeshift, or of low quality.

架空历史 (jia4 kong1 li4 shi3)
alternate history
Also called virtual history or alternative history. It is a mixture of speculative fiction, science fiction and historical fiction. Usually set in a fantasy world whose history has diverged from the actual world, alternate history literature asks the question,  "What if history had developed differently?"

素质场 (su4 zhi4 chang3)
Cheat-you-out-of-your-pocket place
The term literally means "a place of quality." It refers to some restaurants or other entertainment venues where sexy women lure men into unreasonably expensive services, such as a small glass of ordinary wine for an astronomical price. These women, however, never go to bed with men. Cheated men often cannot complain, as they are lured by sex in the first place. These men are then ironically called "men of quality."

饕客 (tao1 ke4)
Gourmet
The Chinese term is a bit humorous. It is not just about any gourmet. It refers to a gourmet who eats in wild joy.

性福 (xing4 fu2)
Sexual satisfaction
The term has the same pronunciation as that of "happiness" in Chinese. But the newly-coined term here actually means sexual satisfaction, not any other form of "happiness."

太空人 (tai4 kong1 ren2)
frequent jet traveler
Some people like businessmen or popular showbiz artists who have to, or like to, fly around the world frequently.

语言暴力 (yu3 yan2 bao4 li4)
verbal violence
Among all types of violence, verbal violence is the most common. Now the term is used to mean slogans, remarks and language used in online discussions that are full of violent and abusive words or expletives.

收声 (shou1 sheng1)
shut up
The Chinese expression, once often used in formal context, is now frequently used at online platforms and media publications to mean stop talking or discussing.

街拍 (jie1 pai1)
street snapshot
Many shutterbugs these days upload the pictures they have taken on the street onto the Internet to share with others.

人球 (ren2 qiu2)
helpless castaway
The term, literally meaning “human ball”, refers to poor people for whom no one is willing to provide help. They are kicked around by people just like a tattered football. The term “little human ball” describes those kids whose parents have divorced and neither is willing to look after them.

睡眠博客 (shui4 mian2 bo2 ke4)
dormant blog
The term refers to those blogs that are rarely updated by their writers. Statistics show that on average, over 70 percent of blogs are not updated each month.

迷卡 (mi2 ka3)
mini card
It refers to portable digital input cards with handwriting functions, usually in the size of a name card. It proves to be a welcome alternative to keying text into phones or other electronic devices.

潜绩 (qian3 ji4)
inconspicuous achievement
Most officials try to make tangible achievements while in office that can help enhance their popularity and gain promotion. But this Chinese term refers to outcomes which are not immediately obvious, but will bring long term benefits.

合同能源管理 (he2 tong2 neng2 yuan2 guan3 li3)
EMC (energy management contract)
It refers to an energy conservation service sold to companies to improve energy usage.