汉语新词新译系列-G

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.

过渡引用 (guo2du2 yin3 yong3) overquote

This term is often used by some academicians as a euphemism for plagiarizing other people’s academic works. It’s now also cited by some Netizens to satirize such reprehensible behavior.

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.

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.

怪咖 (guai4 ka1) geek

The slang refers to those intellectuals obsessed with mind games, such as sudoku and crosswords. Although being described as a geek tends to be an insult, the term has recently become a fond nickname, or even a badge of honor.

谷歌依赖症 (gǔ gē yī lài zhèng) discomgooglation

This term refers to the feeling of distress or anxiety at being unable to gain immediate access to information. It’s a portmanteau of discombobulate, meaning to confuse or frustrate, and Google. According to a survey, about 44 percent of Internet users in the UK said they were frustrated at being unable to go online and 27 percent said they experienced increased stress levels.

个人所得税起征点 (ge4ren2 suo3de2shui4 qi3zheng1dian3) threshold of personal taxable income

China’s top legislature recently issued the new threshold for taxable income, 1,600 yuan(US$198) a month, which will be effective from next year. It doubles the previous threshold which was unchanged for more than decade.

灌水 (guan4shui3) flood-blogging

When guanshui is used in the context of Internet, it does not mean “irrigation” as in its normal use. Some Web bloggers upload tons of nonsense or neither here nor there trivial in order to earn more online credits but only to be scorned by blog viewers for wasting their time and the server space.

跟帖 (gen1tie3) follow-up comment

It refers to the comments or articles that are posted as a follow-up to what a thread starter did in a chat room or on BBS.

过劳死 (guo4lao2si3) karoshi

This Chinese term is a direct translation of “death from overwork.” The term first appeared in Japan in the late 1980s to describe a new phenomenon of high-ranking business executives dying in their prime years without any previous signs of illness. Now the same thing is happening among middle-aged Chinese businessmen and professionals.

光棍儿节 (guang1gun4’r jie2) Singles’ Day

Every year at 11:11pm on November 11, fun-seeking male college students will have rowdy parties by screaming out their desire to find a girlfriend and use whatever is available to make big noises. The timing, consisting of eight Arabic number of 1, is deliberately selected to personify many single people. Can you envisage a Single Women’s Day?

官府菜 (guan1fu3cai4) official’s home cuisine

Most cooks at residences of senior officials in feudal China were able to prepare specialty dishes. The recipes passed down for generations have helped establish some restaurants offering such dishes, like Beijing-based the Tan’s restaurant.

古惑仔 (gu3huo4zai3) offbeat boys

The phrase refers to teenagers who pursue an unconventional lifestyle and behavior, including weird hairstyles and clothing and accessories. They also tend to drink alcohol, smoke cigarettes and get into street fights. They account for about 70 percent of juvenile delinquents in big cities across the country.

官瘾 (guan1yin3) lust for official power

Guan in Chinese means “officialdom.” Yin means “lust.” This Chinese term describes many people who lust official power.

搞定 (gao3ding4) fix something or someone

To gaoding someone has almost the same meaning as “fixing” someone. It could mean you have reached a deal with someone, or even have someone deep-sixed. To gaoding something also has similar meanings as “fixing” something.

骨灰级 (gu3hui1ji2) guru

Those well-acclaimed masters in a field are referred to by today’s youngsters as someone at a guhui level. However, caution is suggested when speaking in the face of such a master, if he or she is elderly, as he or she may take offense at the Chinese term, which means bone ashes.

过劳模 (guo4lao2mo2) overworked workers, model of models

Those who work far more than eight hours a day, either voluntarily or otherwise, are called a “guolaomo,” or an overworked worker. Accordingly, they may draw either juice of joy or poison of pain from the long working hours. The term is coined after the word karoshi.

高薪跳蚤 (gao1xin1 tiao4zao3) high-salary job hopper

This Chinese term means literally a “high-salary flea.” Since a flea can “hop” very “high” considering its small body, the term is actually used to describe highly paid job hoppers.

高考状元 (gao1kao3zhaung4yuan2) college entrance exam ace

This word means the top scorers in college entrance exams. Such cream of the crop is usually taken away by top universities in the country.

挂羊头，卖狗肉 (gua4yang2tou2, mai4gou3rou4) bait and switch

The popular Chinese term translates literally “advertising with a sheep’s head, but actually selling the dog meat.” It is often used to describe the bait-and-switch tactic when someone tries to sell inferior or substandard stuff in the name of quality products.

轧闹猛 (ga2nao4meng3) follow suit en masse

This popular phrase in Shanghai dialect reflects the fact that many locals love to follow fashion trends, ride the bandwagon, do what most people do and go where most go.

轧山湖 (gashanhu) chat casually

The colloquial expression in Shanghai dialect means chewing the rag or shooting the breeze. In different localities, there are different terms for chatting idly, such as “kandashan” in Mandarin in northern China and “bailongmenzhen” in Sichuan Province in southwest China.