汉语新词新译系列-L

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.

露脐装 (lu4 qi2 zhuang1) bare midriff

Many young women these days like to wear midriff baring shirts, short skirts and low-slung trousers. They do so because they believe it’s pretty and fashionable.

留级生 (liu2 ji2 sheng1) repeatedly failed bidder

The Chinese term originally means a repeater or a student who fails to progress to the next grade in school. Here, it refers to those who have repeatedly failed in their bid at auction, such as Shanghai’s monthly auction for car license plates.

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.

0到N (0 dao4 N) 0 to N

The word refers to imposters who own nothing, but frequent upper-class venues in rented brand-name clothes. Their motive in mingling with high society is to seek opportunities to become rich someday.

脑残体 (nao3 can2 ti3) leet speak

This term, meaning literally “brain-impaired writing style”, is the Chinese answer to “leet-speak” in English. It’s a language used by some Netizens who mix traditional and simplified Chinese characters with symbols, numbers and alphabets. It is so hard to read that it looks like the writing of a mentally impaired person.

旅游券 (lv3 you2 quan4) tourism coupon

Famous tourist cities such as Hangzhou and Changzhou distributed rebate coupons in Shanghai to attract local visitors. The coupons are for scenic spots, hotels and entertainment venues.

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.

小光 (xiao3 guang1) male spendthrift

Like above, this term uses another part of the Chinese word for “moonlight” and is used to describe male spendthrifts.

赖校族 (lai4 xiao4 zu2) campus dwellers

It refers to those who have already graduated from college but choose to stay on campus, scared by the bleak job market and wanting to live on campus at a low cost.

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.

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.

零人格 (ling2 ren2 ge2) zero integrity

This term refers to someone who has no integrity. It first appeared in the Hong Kong media and has led to another term called “negative integrity,” meaning worse than “no integrity.”

撩菜 (liao2 cai4) entice a woman

It is slang used these days at nightclubs and cafes to refer to a man trying to engage the attention of a woman and make advances to her.

撩汤 (liao2 tang1) entice a man

The female version of seducing the opposite sex at an entertainment venue.

撩火腿 (liao2 huo3 tui3) Go gigolo-ing

It refers to a man who is looking to link up with a rich woman for both a romantic relationship and to entice continuing financial support from her.

兰花指 (lan2 hua1 zhi3) orchid fingers

This refers to a finger sign arranged by touching the tips of one’s thumb and middle finger and aiming the pointing finger, ring finger and pinkie of the same hand into the air. The resulting “orchid fingers” are frequently used by actresses in Chinese operas, such as Peking Opera. A man will be considered sissy if he does “orchid fingers.”

领便当 (ling3 bian4 dang1) die, game over

During the shooting of a movie, a helper can get a meal box after he finishes his job. So, fetching a meal box, as this term means literally in Chinese, indicates that the play is over for the helper and he is no longer needed. It may also mean the death of somebody or the end of something.

老赖 (lao3lai4) deadbeat

The city recently sent 80 diehard defaulters to jail. They were all debtors who had the money but refused to pay court-ordered debts. Laolai is a derogatory term in Chinese.

另类 (ling4lei4) offbeat

This term has become popular as people tend to use it to describe anyone or anything that ranges from avant-garde to unconventional or weird.

楼主 (lou2zhu3) thread starter

The person whose article or comment on the BBS or online chat room triggered off discussions and arguments on a specific topic is often referred to as a thread starter. As his or her article or comment appears at the very top of a string of remarks, a thread starter is therefore nicknamed as louzhu (chief of the building). The following debaters are called dwellers of the second-floor, third-floor, etc, according to the appearance sequence of their comment.