汉语新词新译系列-T

贴牌 (tie1pai2) original equipment manufacturer (OEM)

This term means a manufacturer that makes products for its clients with its clients’ brands. Many Chinese companies grow by working as OEMs for overseas companies. In the latest example, Japanese electronics maker Sanyo Electric Co has agreed to let Haier Group, the Chinese mainland’s biggest home appliance maker, become its only original equipment manufacturer of refrigerators.

托大 (tuoda) preen oneself, self-boasting

The Chinese term literally means “entrusting oneself too much.” This colloquial term is often used in an informal and humorous way.

讨债人 (tao3zhai4ren2) debt collector

Six Shanghainese recently obtained debt-collection certificates after taking courses at a professional training center. The center is authorized by the Ministry of Labor and Social Security to train debt collectors in six fields, including state regulations and negotiation skills.

特型演员 (te4xing2yan3yuan2) lookalike actor

China’s film authorities have a tradition of setting up a pool of actors who resemble late Chinese leaders like Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai. One such actor, Wang Lixian, a Mao Zedong lookalike from Liaoning Province, died recently in a road accident in Taiwan during the National Day holiday.

铁头功 (tie3tou2gong1) head butt

France captain Zinedine Zidane was redcarded in the 110th minute of the World Cup final for head butting Italy defender Marco Materazzi in the chest. Zidane claimed that he was provoked because Materazzi insulted his mother and sister.

兔爸 (tu4ba4) tool bar

The term literally means “rabbit papa,” because it have a similar Chinese pronunciation with “tool bar”-a bar of useful buttons usually at the top or on the left side of the interface of a software.

通吃 (tong1chi1) fix-all

The word is believed to have come from gambling when someone has a landslide winning hand or a game where winner takes all. These days, people also use it to refer to a silver-bullet solution or tactic.

踏青 (ta4qing1) spring outing

The Chinese term vividly depicts one who merrily goes on a trip in spring. Ta means “step on” or “walk by,” while “qing” means the greenness of grass. For hundreds of years, taqing has been associated with the tomb sweeping activities around the Qingming (Clear and Bright) Festival, which falls on April 5.

偷着胖 (tou1zhepang4) unnoticeably fat, a hidden fatty

Those who don’t look fat with clothes on, but are actually quite plump are called a hidden fatty in northern China. It takes great efforts to be secret about one’s subcutaneous fat these days when revealing clothing is in, especially for young women.

陀飞轮手表 (tuo2fei1lun2shou3biao3) toubillon watch

Toubillon, invented by French watchmaker Abraham Louis Breguet in 1795, is a technology which improves a watch’s accuracy by nullifying the effect of gravity using a series of mechanisms. Shanghai Watch, a history-honored brand, recently introduced its first 50 limited edition tourbillion watches. They were purchased almost instantly.

退耕还林 (tui4geng1 huan2lin2) grain for green project

In order to restore the ecological balance in west China, the central government has initiated a program to offer grain subsidies to local farmers and encourage them to turn low-yielding farmland back to forest and pastures. The Chinese government has allocated 61.7 billion yuan (US$7.63 billion) for this project over the next five years.

天价 (tian1jia4) whopping price

The Chinese term literally means the price is as high as the sky. An old man who is treated in a local hospital in Harbin, Heilongjiang Province last summer had to pay an unbelievably high price of 5.5 million yuan (US$680,000). Many expenses were later found to be fabricated by the hospital.

淘浆糊 (tao2jiang4hu2) muddle through

This Shanghai slang dates back many decades and has an origin involving tailors and brothels. But today it is frequently used to indicate anyone who tries to muddle through an unfavorable situation by either muddling someone up or blurring the line between right and wrong.

推手 (tui1shou3) promoter

It refers to a person who helps bring another to stardom before anyone else discovers the potential value of the latter. An organizer of an event or crusader can also be called a promoter.

体商 (ti3shang1) body quotient

It has come to refer to the health state of a person these days as more people pay increasing attention to their physical well-being.

偷着乐 (tou1zhe0le4) laugh in sleeve, covert pleasure

It is the case when you are happy about something but you don’t want to share it with others or when you are sure of a future happy thing that nobody else is aware of.

(你) 太有才了! (ni3tai4you3cai2le0) You’re so gifted!

This was the jape repeatedly cited by a female comedian in a show at this year’s Spring Festival television gala, now a sine qua non of the Chinese New Year celebration. Since then it has become so popular, and it is widely used in daily conversations to flatter someone for his/her smarts.

推优生 (tui1you1sheng1) recommended students

It refers to straight-A students who are recommended for enrollment into a senior high school or a university without taking entrance exams like their peers.

太太团 (tai4tai4tuan2) WAG

The term refers to the wives and girlfriends (WAG) of sportsmen that fly to a match to encourage their husbands and boyfriends, a common sight in the Western sports scene.

掏空族 (tao1kong1zu2) hollow clan

The term refers to people who are so overworked that they have no time for recharging themselves through continuing-education or training. They tend to become “hollow” because they are burning out all their knowledge, energy and enthusiasm they had accumulated in the past.

碳足迹 (tan4zu2ji4) carbon footprint

Carbon footprint is a measure of the amount of carbon dioxide emitted through the consumption of fossil fuels. It is the impact that businesses, organizations or individuals make on the planet from the use of energy.

炭补偿 (tan4bu3chang2) carbon offset

After introducing the concept of the carbon footprint, here’s a term meaning how to compensate for some amount of carbon dioxide that someone or something has added to the atmosphere. It could be making a donation or simply planting more trees. 

特困生 (te4kun4sheng1) super-sleepy student

The Chinese expression literally means a student from an extremely poor family. But it is now often used on campuses to refer to students who often take naps during the class. The middle character in this Chinese term means “poor” here, but it sounds the same as another Chinese word meaning “sleepy.”

贴吧 (tie1ba1) online post bar

It’s a rising method among fans to set up an online bar to publish posts related to their idols. By typing the name of an idol, you can easily find the person’s bar on Baidu and if not, you can be the first one to establish the bar.

痛快吧 (tong4kuai4ba1) pressure-venting shop

This term refers to shops where a customer pays for venting his or her tension, anger or frustration by violently punching or smashing goods.

套牌车 (tao4pai2che1) fake plate vehicles

It has been a big headache for police to track down drivers who flee after a road accident or a crime as their plate is a duplicate of another legitimate car’s.

太监小说 (tai4jian1 xiao3shuo1) eunuchized story

This term refers to any unfinished story which is usually published on a Website in installments. This occurs when the author decides to discontinue writing or publishing the remaining parts of the story because it attracts few visitors or due to other reasons. The term likens a story missing the following parts to a eunuch - a man missing an essential part of his lower body.

投缘 (tou2yuan2) hit it off, get along well

This term describes a situation when two persons get along well together or work well together and will soon move down a road that may lead them to a wedlock, business deal, or a lasting friendship. The Chinese term means literally “harmonious predestined relationship.”

弹格路 (dan4ge2lu4) cobblestone road

This term is frequently used in Shanghai, as cobbled roads were typical in downtown areas in the old days. Now a new street in Hongkou District is being paved with cobbles to give visitors a taste of antiquity.