汉语新词新译系列-W

网络庐舍 (wang3 luo4 lu2 she4) Internet loser<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

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.

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.

卧槽族 (wo4 cao2 zu2) job-hugging clan

A twist on the Chinese word for “job hopping,” this term means “job-hugging” as many people now cling to their current jobs because companies no longer hire new staff due to global economic crisis.

外挂 (wai4 gua4) stranger to a party

It refers to a person who is brought to a party by a friend, though he or she isn’t acquainted with the other partygoers apart from the friend. The person in question also goes Dutch on costs associated with the party.

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.

无厘头 (wu2li2tou2) meaningless act

The phrase derives from “moulaitou” in Cantonese, which was first used to describe a trend in Hong Kong pop culture started by actor Stephen Chow. His brand of slapstick comedy features exaggerated body language, trash talk and black humor. Now any absurd, meaningless and anomalous approach to express one’s opinions or feelings can be described as “wulitou.”

尾牙 (wei3ya2) year-end dinner party

Evolved from a tradition in southern Fujian Province for worshiping the god or a standard of colors, many employers have turned the last worship ritual in a year into a dinner party to treat their employees. It is particularly popular in Taiwan.

网格员 (wang3ge2yuan2) grid inspector

This actually refers to city inspectors introduced in Shanghai’s Luwan District. Armed with a specially designed handy GPS mobile phone, the inspectors cover their respective designated area by walking a grid. They will report any “abnormalities,” such as traffic jams, misplaced garbage bags, a missing manhole cover and other eyesores, to the control center. The center then will decide how to deal with the reported problems.

网络电话 (wang3luo4dian4hua4) VoIP

VoIP, or Voice over Internet Protocol, is a method to turn analog audio signals into digital date that can be transmitted over the Internet. By using some of the free VoIP software, one can make Internet phone calls by bypassing the phone companies as well as their charges.

外挂 (wai4gua4) cheating program

Cheating programs are designed to help players skip some tough or tedious steps in an online game to accumulate more experience points. Such programs make the games easier to play, but they may deprive players of the excitement in online games.

乌鸦嘴 (wu1ya1zui3) jinxing mouth

Chinese believe the crow cawing could bring an unlucky spell on people. So, anyone who has a jinxing mouth is said to have a wuyazui or “crow’s mouth,” a persona non grata in any conservation or discussion.

物权法 (wu4quan2 fa3) property rights law

The draft for the country’s first such law has been discussed during the past days at the nation’s legislature. The law covers movable and immovable properties, ranging from ownership of a house to ownership of a company.

玩心跳 (wan2xin1tiao4) play heartbeat

The two Chinese words in this term are “play” and “heartbeat.” When you decide to play with your heartbeat, you’re about to engage in exciting and often dangerous activities that that will quicken your heartbeat and cause an adrenalin surge. Bungee jumping is a good example of such activities.

伪球迷 (wei3qiu2mi2) biased fans, follow-suit fans

Soccer or basketball fans who spare no effort to promote their favorite teams or players but speak ill of all others are called biased fans. The term may also mean people who just follow the behavior of true fans to share some excitement.

玩转 (wan2zhuan4) having command of, being adept in

The two Chinese characters in this term are “play” and “spin.” So, if one has learned to “play” a game and can make it “spin,” he is deemed as having a good command of the skill. Actually, the term can be used for any skill, practice, profession or operation.

网络黑帮 (wang3luo4 hei1bang1) cyber gang

Recently, some cyber hackers have blackmailed Website owners by attacking their Websites with DDoS, or Distributed Denial of Service, and demanded money or consultancy “fee.”

围堰 (wei2yan4) cofferdam

China last week demolished the last cofferdam which protected the main wall of the Three Georges Dam on the Yangtze River in central China’s Hubei Province. The removal of the top of the temporary structure means the Three Georges Project has formally begun its role in flood control, two years ahead of schedule.

挖角 (wa1jiao3) talent drain

The practice has spread from companies and academic facilities to secondary schools in China. To enroll high-quality students, some senior middle schools even offer cash rewards to straight A students graduate from junior middle schools.

威客 (wei1ke4) witkey

The term refers to Websites which provide online Encyclopedia services, such as Google answer, Wikipidia, Sinai ask. In China, witkey Websites are still new. With only a year of development, the number of users has reached about 600,000, with a monthly surge of 30 percent.

窝边草 (wo1bian1cao3) nest-side grass

A rabbit would not eat grass around its nest, as an old Chinese saying goes. The traditional adage advises people never to harm their neighbors if they want to go a long way.

万金油 (wan4jin1you2) jack of all trades

Originally, this was the name of a palm ointment used in traditional medicine to treat many minor problems. But it can never cure any real illness. Therefore, people use it to refer to someone regarded as a jack of all trades.

文化奶妈 (wen2hua4nai3ma1) cultural nanny

The term originally referred to Yu Dan, a female professor who explained difficult traditional Chinese literature and moral classics to the public in plain language on a TV program. Now the term refers to anyone who feeds the public with highbrow culture like a nanny feeds a baby.

网络视频女郎 (wang3luo4shi4pin2nu3lang2) camgirl

This term refers to a girl or young woman who broadcasts live pictures of herself over the World Wide Web. Nowadays, more people are choosing to live in front of a camera, hooked up to the Internet via a high-speed connection. Most of them are girls and young women broadcasting from the most private spaces of their bedrooms, bathrooms and living rooms.

维实 (wei2shi2) wikiality

This term is a translation of a new English word “wikiality,” which means a reality as defined by a consensus, particularly in a collaborative online endeavor such as Wikipedia. Any user can change any entry and if enough other users agree with them, it becomes true.

无烟工业 (wu2yan1gong1ye4) smokeless industry

Smokeless industries, such as tourism, design and fashion industries, are considered environment-friendly industries which are particularly suitable for megacities like Shanghai. Also, they can bring in big money without causing harmful pollution.

伪文化 (wei3wen2hua4) pseudo culture

It often refers to the creation of artificial tourist attractions or the promotion of business events in the name of culture.