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A young couple based in Zhengzhou are battling a real estate developer who owes them money. They bought an off-plan apartment in the city three years ago, which has still not been completed.
Liàngliang 亮亮 and Lìjūn 丽君 moved to Zhengzhou, the capital of Henan province, in 2013. The couple worked to save for a deposit to buy an apartment and start a family.
Many people in China can relate to them.
They are a very ordinary Chinese couple, just like many others. They worked hard and lived frugally for five or six years to save a down payment of 450,000 yuan. With a loan of 1.02 million yuan, they bought a 98-square-metre off-plan apartment from developer Sunac in Zhengzhou. Monthly mortgage payments are over 6,000 yuan. Looking back now, they have indeed bought the property with the highest interest rates. Many people find the stories they shared online heart-wrenching and very relatable, because those true stories reflect a simple life. [1]
这是我们国家最普通又最有代表性的小夫妻,靠自己辛勤工作节俭生活五六年攒下首付45万,贷款102万,买了郑州融创某楼盘一套98平的房子,月供六千多,现在回头看,确实又撞上了利率高点。因为真实质朴而令人心疼,他们分享的内容也因此得到很多人的共情。[1]
When they bought the apartment in 2019, the developer, Hong Kong-listed Sunac 融创中国, offered cash incentives to customers as their “universal agents” (全民经纪人 quánmín jīngjì rén) to refer new business.
Lijun and Liangliang were not married at the time, so Liangliang could "introduce" Lijun as a new customer and receive a commission, according to the rules of the offer.
On purchase, Sunac would refund the pair 21,876 yuan within weeks. That amount has still not been paid.
In May last year, Sunac hit financial difficulties and work stopped on the building site. The planned 33-flour structure was still only thirteen floors high. Liangliang and Lijun's new 98-square-metre apartment would be on the 22nd floor.
With their dream home was still not a reality, the couple's mortgage payments had started, and the commission was still outstanding.
“After years of waiting, the structure of the apartment block was finally finished (but the building still not complete). Lijun and I, together with our daughter Tongtong, celebrated with fireworks”.
Their daughter, Tongtong, was now one year old. From the happiness of saving enough for a down payment, to the joy of buying an apartment, the excitement of confirming the offer, the emptiness of paying the down payment, the fear of the developer going bankrupt, and now the topping out has given us some hope. [3]
两年的时间,终于封顶了。我和丽君带着童童放了礼炮庆祝,童童都一岁了。从攒够首付的开心,到去买房子的喜悦、订房的激动、交完首付的空虚、暴雷的惊恐,到现在封顶,又给了我们一些希望。[3]
By November this year, with their “commission” was still outstanding, they persisted with the only thing they could do.
Turn to social media.
They broadcast live on Douyin from the building site demanding that Sunac pay their commission and finish building their home. On the 15th of November, employees of the developer attacked and beat them during one broadcast.
At this point most people would have given up, as one writer notes:
For most young people, if major choices in life such as studying, working, and buying a house are always full of uncertainty with no positive outcomes, then "lying flat" is the rational choice. In a life where fate comes randomly, burning incense and believing in fortune-telling might be more effective than working hard. [4]
对广大年轻人来说,如果在读书、工作、买房这些人生的重大选择中,总是充满不确定性,找不到正反馈,那么躺平就是一种理性选择。命运随机降临的人生,努力奋斗不如烧香算命。[4]
But Liangliang and Lijun continued to make their case on social media. In one video first posted on Bilibili and now removed, Liangliang says:
Give me an explanation!
给我一个交代。
He repeats it three times. But Lijiun covers his mouth with adhesive tape (胶带 jiāodài).
It's a pun which we explain more below.
Liangliang and Lijun’s struggle has resonated with so many young people in China:
This poor couple represents thousands of ordinary people like you, me, and him.
这对可怜的小夫妻背后,是千千万万个普通的你、我、他。[2]
So, that's what we explore this week!
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Favourite Five
1. 徒劳 tú láo
in vain
按照刘有山的理解,亮亮和丽君去到这个售楼部,是徒劳的 - Liu Youshan reckoned it was a waste of time for Liangliang and Lijun to go to the sales office. [1]
2. 心力交瘁 xīn lì jiāo cuì
mentally and physically exhausted, burnt out
他不希望自己一直活在要不回这笔钱的心力交瘁当中 - He doesn't want to live constantly in the mental and physical exhaustion of trying to recover this money.
3. 骆驼祥子 luò tuo xiáng zi
The Rickshaw Boy
他们索性将抖音账号改名为“现代骆驼祥子”,并写下:万般皆苦,唯有自渡 - They simply changed their TikTok account name to "Modern Rickshaw Boy" and wrote: Everyone is suffering; only self-salvage brings relief. [2]
Note: The Rickshaw Boy 骆驼祥子 is one of the best-known novels from the 19th century writer, Lao She 老舍. The title of the book has become a metaphor for "downtrodden and poor".
4. 蚍蜉撼树 pí fú hàn shù
like an earthworm shaking a tree; futile
蚍蜉撼树,普通人还是放弃吧 - This is as futile as an earthworm trying to shake the tree. Ordinary people like us should just give up. [1]
Note: An idiom credited to Hán Yù 韩愈, a writer and poet during the Tang Dynasty. Han's creative peak was around two decades after Li Bai 李白 and Du Fu 杜甫 died. At that time some were critical of their works. Han disagreed, rebuking the critics in A Letter to Zhang Ji (调张籍). Han compared critics to "ants" trying to shake the giant trees of Li Bai and Du Fu.
5. 给我一个胶带 gěi wǒ yí gè jiāo dài
you will never shut me up!
给我一个胶带 - You will never shut me up!
More: This is a pun based on the same pronunciation of "交代 explanation" and "胶带 “adhesive tape" - with the same tones "jiāodài" but different characters. We explore more in Phrase of the Week.
Consuming the Conversation
Useful words
6. 桩 zhuāng
matter, affair
亮亮希望自己可以摆脱这桩心事 - Liangliang hopes to free himself from this matter on his mind. [1]
Note: Counting word for legal cases, problems, issues.
7. 懵圈 mēng quān
confused, in a daze
雷了,有点懵圈了 - Sunac now faces serious financial issues - I'm very shocked.[2]
Note: 雷 “thunder” is short for 暴雷 “financial issues” - see below.
8. 追讨 zhuī tǎo
to demand repayment, to pursue a debt
亮亮他们开始追讨这笔钱后,他过去在融创的前同事还询问过他,丽君他们这笔佣金是否合规 - After Liangliang and Lijun began to pursue the repayment of this money, a former colleague at Sunac asked Liu (who used to work at Sunac), if they indeed have claim to the commission. [1]
Related:
讨债 tǎo zhài - debt collection
维权 wéi quán - protect consumer rights; consumer protection
9. 排解 pái jiě
to relieve (pressure)
要不到钱,起码还能排解一点心中苦闷 - If you can't get the money, at least you can alleviate some of the frustration in your heart. [1]
10. 韧劲 rèn jìn
resilience, tenacity
觉得亮亮这样的年轻人应该有一些韧劲和冲劲 - I think young people like Liangliang should have some resilience and drive. [1]
11. 暴雷 bào léi
financial failure
去买房子的喜悦、订房的激动、交完首付的空虚、暴雷的惊恐 - The joy of buying an apartment, the excitement of confirming the offer, the emptiness after paying the down payment, and the terror of the financial issues of the company. [3]
12. 期房 qī fáng
off-plan property
以后再也不会买期房了,童童也不会买期房了 - We won't buy off-plan properties any more in the future, and our daughter won't either. [3]
Related:
月供 yuè gòng - monthly mortgage payment
竣工 jùn gōng - finish construction
13. 推诿 tuī wěi
to shirk responsibility, to pass the buck
融创售楼部的销售们总是有各种办法拖延、推诿 - The salespeople at the Sunac always have ways to kick the can down the road and shirk responsibility. [4]
14. 豁出 huō chū
to risk, to be ready to do something regardless of consequences
从一开始的好声好气,到后面的豁出脸皮理直气壮,视频里夫妻俩肉眼可见地发生着变化 - You can clearly tell how the couple have changed from being polite and kind at the beginning to risking it all with a bold and righteous demeanor. [4]
Three-character phrases
15. 烂尾楼 làn wěi lóu
unfinished building
看了买了郑州融创烂尾楼的亮亮和丽君夫妇俩这些年的遭遇,就更能理解为什么年轻人选择躺平 - After learning about what Liangliang and Lijun - the couple who bought an unfinished building in Zhengzhou Sunac - went through, we can better understand why young people choose to “lie flat”. [4]
Related:
保交楼 bǎo jiāo lóu - to ensure the completion of a building before handing it over to the buyer
16. 哭鼻子 kū bí zi
to cry
为此哭了一鼻子,那是他们那个分享生活的账号第一次获得流量 - She cried over this. It was the first time their vlog gained a lot of web traffic. [1]
Idioms
17. 忧心忡忡 yōu xīn chōng chōng
anxious
郑州亮亮丽君夫妇开始为他们在融创买的期房忧心忡忡 - The couple in Zhengzhou, Liangliang and Lijun, began to feel anxious and worried about the off-plan property they bought from Sunac. [1]
18. 省吃俭用 shěng chī jiǎn yòng
to live frugally, to cut back on expenses
他们不逛街、不看电影、不下馆子,省吃俭用,眼里还有光 - They don't go shopping, watch movies, or dine out. They live frugally, yet there is still hope in their eyes. [2]
19. 无能为力 wú néng wéi lì
powerless
经历过那种漫长的折磨与无能为力,刘有山劝过亮亮丽君夫妇几次 - Having experienced that prolonged torment and a sense of powerlessness himself, Liu Youshan told Liangliang and Lijun a few times that they should just give it up. [1]
Related:
无奈 wú nài - helpless, with no alternative
20. 拳打脚踢 quán dǎ jiǎo tī
to beat someone up physically
亮亮挨的打更多,“拳打脚踢”,挨打的位置是头部和胸部 - Liangliang took more beatings, being physically assaulted with punches and kicks at the head and chest. [1]
Related:
肢体冲突 zhī tǐ chōng tū - physical conflict
挨了拳脚 āi le quán jiǎo - got punched and kicked
血肉模糊 xuè ròu mó hu - bloody, badly injured
21. 相濡以沫 xiāng rú yǐ mò
to help each other through life's difficulties, to share life's joys and sorrows
不管亮亮回家多晚,丽君都在家等着他,小两口相濡以沫 - No matter how late Liangliang comes home, Lijun is always waiting for him. The couple helps each other through life's difficulties. [4]
Note: A well-known idiom which was first coined in the Zhangzi 庄子 an ancient text written during the Warring States period more than 2,300 years ago.
Phrases
22. 拼尽全力 pīn jìn quán lì
to exert all one's strength, to strive to the utmost
他们为了生活拼尽全力,生活却给了他们致命一击——一个烂尾的房子 - They gave all they have for a better life, but life dealt them a fatal blow — a half-finished house. [2]
23. 最后一根稻草 zuì hòu yì gēn dào cǎo
the last straw
只是到了这个九月,暖气与物业费用像是最后一根稻草,突然让二人倍感压力 - But in this September, the heating and property management fees became the last straw, suddenly doubling the pressure on the two. [1]
Note: A foreign import from the English idiom, "the straw that broke the camel's back".
Related: the full Chinese idiom:
压死骆驼的最后一根稻草 yā sǐ luò tuo de zuì hòu yì gēn dào cǎo - the straw that breaks the camel's back
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