汉语新词新译系列-D

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.

地球一小时 (di4 qiu2 yi4 xiao3 shi2) Earth Hour

The Chinese term literally means “an hour on the earth” and corresponds to the original English term “Earth Hour”. This international event is held on the last Saturday of March each year, encouraging households, governments and businesses to turn off non-essential lights for one hour to save energy.

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.

打星 (da3 xing1) action movie star

It refers to those film stars that are mainly featured in action movies, such as Jackie Chan and Michelle Yeoh.

大条 (da4 tiao2) reckless

It is an expression that is often used in online chatrooms to describe a person who pays little heed to details or events that most people would consider alarming or sensational.

躲猫猫 (duo3 mao1 mao1) hide-and-seek

The Chinese term for “hide-and-seek” has become a buzzword overnight among Chinese Netizens after a 24-year-old man died in police custody in south China’s Yunnan Province and an official report said he ran into a wall blindfolded while playing hide-and-seek with inmates. Unconvinced, a large number of Netizens are taking part in an investigation into the young man’s death. The  investigation showed he was beaten to death by inmates while playing the game.

地接社 (di4 jie1 she4) local tour operators

Tour operators at certain tourist destinations who earn commissions for receiving a tour group from another city or country.

打底衫 (da3 di3 shan1) backing shirt

It refers to the shirt, usually with solid colors and simple styles, that is worn immediately under an outfit or suit to set the latter off.

道路百慕大 (dao4 lu4 bai3 mu4 da4) Terrestrial Bermuda Triangle

Some local media use the phrase to refer to several street crossings in downtown Shanghai that often make drivers confused about which lane to take, like the one at Wujiaochang shopping area.

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.”

冻薪 (dòng xīn) salary freeze

Due to the ongoing global recession, many companies have been forced to cut their budgets in different ways. Some have sacked employees to save costs while others have imposed salary freezes for the coming year.

第一桶金 (di4yi1tong3 jin1) the first bucket of gold

Tons of articles have been published in the press discussing how people make their first fortune and use it to invest in their business.

吊带衫 (diao4dai4shan1) halter top, spaghetti strap top

Some local men say it’s improper for women wearing halter tops or other skimpy dress to ride the crowded Metro.

动漫 (dong4man4) manga

The animated cartoons for theater, film, DVD, flash and so on, have spread from Japan to the whole world.

得来速 (de2lai2su4) drive-thru

McDonald’s will open its first drive-thru restaurant in Shanghai this month to compete with KFC.

大师杯网球赛 (da4shi1bei1 wang3qiu2sai4) Tennis Masters Cup

It has become a major sport event in the city. World No.1 Roger Federer said:”For me, this is like a Grand Slam. I came here not knowing if I can play, and I went through all the therapy just to really show people also how much this event really means to me.”

短信诈骗分子 (duan3xin4 zha4pian4 fen4zi3) SMS scammer

The Public Security Ministry recently disclosed a few shocking cases of criminals using cell-phone short message to cheat people out of money. Officials say now you can call police for help if you receive such fraudulent messages on your cell-phone.

大跌眼镜 (da4die1yan3jing1) glasses dropper

This Chinese term vividly describes a situation where you’re so stunned by something that the glasses fall from the bridge of your nose. Of course, your glasses-dropping could also be caused by the fact that your idea or prediction about something is proved to be wrong as wrong could ever be.

倒春寒 (dao3chun1han2) cold snap in spring

Spring has come, but from time to time people still may experience cold snaps. It’s a common weather phenomenon in the city. People now, however, tend to use this term to depict unexpected setbacks in a booming business.

达人 (da2ren2) pro, doyen

This term refers to someone who is a pro, doyen or even an established authority in a specific field of knowledge. Young people tend to use this term more frequently and particularly in their online communication.

电子标签 (dian4zi3biao1qian1) RFID tags

Shanghai has planned to develop Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags during the 11th Five-Year Plan period (2006-2010) as one of its goals in boosting the fast-growing IT industry.

大佬 (da4lao3) big brother, doyen

The Chinese term is most frequently used in Cantonese dialect films, which means “big brother” or doyen. It is not necessarily derogative.

倒按揭 (dao4an4jie4) reverse mortgage

The city has been considering the introduction of a reverse mortgage program to help cope with the growing problem of an aging society. The program, also referred to as a home equity conversion loan, first appeared in New Jersey of the United States more than 20 years ago. It was designed to allow seniors to access the equity in their homes.

定心丸 ding4xin1 wan2) heart-soothing pill

People tend to take pills to calm the overly fast heartbeat caused by anxiety, concern, worry or extreme uncertainty. The Chinese term for such a pill is also used to describe reassuring advice, a plan, proposal or solution that helps to restore one’s confidence.

丁狗族 (ding1gou3zu4) DIDK

Some young couples in China’s large cities prefer to raise a pet dog instead of having a baby these days. DIDK, double income, dog for kid, is based on the word DINK (double income, no kid.).

大胃王 (da4wei4wang2) King/Queen of Eating

Miyuki Iwata, a “Queen of Eating” from Japan, has a gargantuan appetite that she puts to full effect at eating competitions around the world. She won the Asia Eating Contest final in Shanghai on May 28.

蛋白质 (dan4bai2zhi4) lunatic jerk

The online jargon has nothing to do with protein, which is meant literally by the Chinese term. Actually, it is a coinage from three different Chinese characters that describe those who are dull and insane.

钉子户 (ding1zi3hu4) holdout

The term, literally “nail household,” is first used to describe home owners who block new development projects by refusing to move as they look for better terms or compensation from the developers. Now it is also used for anyone who holds out against certain policies or arrangements.

毒舌派 (du2she2pai4) sharp tongue

Recently judges of some televised singing contests in China have become bitter and mean in criticizing the contestants, which has won the acclaim from a growing number of viewers but criticism from others who find such pungent words not only discouraging but also humiliating.

顶风 (ding3feng1) storm confronting

It refers to the violation of a freshly enforced law or regulation. 顶风literally means against the wind. Chinese people tend to refer to a newly launched drive to crack down on a malpractice as a storm, like the recent ban on TV commercials promoting weight loss, breast augmentation and medical equipment.

电老鼠 (dian4lao3shu3) electricity rat

Those who steal electricity are called electricity rats. In the summer some residents and business owners steal electricity by tampering with their meters. They avoid paying high electricity tariffs by lowering the meter readings significantly.

冻卵胎儿 (dong4luan3 tai1er2) snowflake baby

This term refers to an infant born from a frozen embryo. China’s first snowflake baby was born in Beijing in April. US President George W. Bush has banned the use of frozen embryos in scientific research.

毒枭 (du2xiao1) drug lord

Liu Zhaohua, an alleged drug lord, went on trial for masterminding the production of more than 18 tons of methamphetamines on June 26, the International Anti-Drug Day, in Guangzhou, while five major narcotics dealers were executed on the same day.