Welcome to this week’s RealTime Mandarin+.
Podcast timings:
Chinese deep dive at 7 mins 42 secs
Word list and example sentences at 15 mins 53 secs
Featured article at 23 mins 07 secs
In the last week three media outlets published lists of China's top ten "buzzwords" from 2023.
Language and Character Weekly (语言文字周报) published its top ten list of Chinese internet slang and buzzwords of the year (2023年10大网络流行语出炉). The editors started from a pool of 1,000 words and phrases, whittling down to ten after three rounds of expert reviews, and input from readers.
Yaowen Jiaozi (咬文嚼字), a magazine that covers the misuse and abuse of language in Chinese society, published its year-end list of “popular buzzwords” (2023年十大流行语), which includes internet terms, some more general phrases, and political slogans.
A third publication, Lifeweek (三联生活周刊), offered up its list in partnership with e-commerce platform, Taobao, with a focus on marketing-related buzzwords (年度十大热梗，30岁以下请进).
There is some overlap with the three lists, but differences too.
So in this issue of Slow Chinese we compile our “top ten” favourite Chinese buzzwords of 2023, taking the best from the three lists. The remaining words and phrases are also included at the end, creating a list of 24 buzzwords of the year:
Essential to know to stay up to date
And show off your amazing language skills!
As well as the usual places, such as Chinese TV shows, movies, and social media, some of this year's buzzwords started life in the most unexpected places.
From Japanese manga, to American fashion trends, and even McDonalds marketing campaigns.
And, of course, cute cat videos!
So, let's dive in…
(***With thanks to Jeremy Goldkorn who edited this post***)
Top 10 buzzwords in China in 2023
1. Kong Yiji Literature
孔乙己文学 kǒng yǐ jǐ wén xué
学历不但是敲门砖，也是我下不来的高台，更是孔乙己脱不下的长衫 - Academic qualifications are not only a stepping stone, but also a high platform that I cannot get off. It’s also like the long gown Kong Yiji cannot take off.
Background:
In a social media post in April, a young man, frustrated with the limitations of China's education system, compared himself to the well-known character in Lu Xun’s 鲁迅 short story, Kong Yiji 孔乙己.
Kong Yiji spent his life studying the "four books" (四书) and the "five classics" (五经). But in old age he is a poor beggar, unable to make a career as a scholar. Yet he still arrogantly, and ridiculously, wears his long-sleeved scholar's gown. He is a metaphor for how students in China today feel: Highly educated, but unable to find a good job. Read more in this week’s Phrase of the Week.
Related:
躺平 tǎngpíng - lie flat
内卷 nèijuǎn - intense competition
2. Introvert / extrovert
i人/e人 i rén / e rén
“i人”泛指在社交中失去能量、一般来说性格内敛的人，而“e人”泛指在社交中获得能量、一般来说性格外向的人 - Introverts are generally people who lose energy in social interactions, while extroverts generally refer to those who gain energy.
Background:
The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), a psychological assessment framework, assigns a binary value to four personality traits: introversion or extraversion, sensing or intuition, thinking or feeling, and judging or perceiving.
MBTI became a popular way to talk about personality types in China around May this year, seen as an alternative to zodiac signs. The values most of interest to Chinese internet users are "i" (introverted), and "e" (extroverted), which became a popular source of memes. i人 is also a more neutral way to say 内向 (introverted, quiet) in Chinese.
Related:
社恐 shè kǒng - socially awkward people
社牛 shè niú - socially confident people
3. Special forces-style tourism
特种兵式旅游 tè zhǒng bīng shì lǚ yóu
“特种兵式旅游”指高强度的旅行方式，即在周末或节假日等有限的时间里，游览尽可能多的景点 - "Special forces-style tourism" refers to high-intensity travelling, which is visiting as many scenic spots as possible in a limited time, such as during weekends or short national holiday breaks.
Background:
After China relaxed its zero-Covid restrictions, people took the opportunity to take holidays on weekends and short national holidays. It was described as “special forces-style” tourism, involving intense travel, taking in as many places, in as little time, and for as little cost as possible.
The term “special forces-style” has become a common way to express “intense” activity in different areas too.
Related:
特种兵式观剧 tè zhǒng bīng shì guān jù - binge watching TV series
特种兵式开会 tè zhǒng bīng shì kāi huì - holding marathon meetings
特种兵式午休 tè zhǒng bīng shì wǔ xiū - having a power nap
4. Way ahead
遥遥领先 yáo yáo lǐng xiān
2023年8月，华为宣布推出“HUAWEI Mate 60 Pro先锋计划”时，很多网友都用“遥遥领先”来调侃这一系列的产品 - In August 2023, when Huawei announced the launch of the "HUAWEI Mate 60 Pro Pioneer Plan", many netizens used the term "far ahead" to poke fun at this product line.
Background:
An idiom which translates as "leading by a wide margin". At the Huawei Mate40 product launch in October 2020, Huawei executive Yu Chengdong 余承东 described the new product using the idiom 14 times. Since then it’s taken on the meaning of “exaggeration”, in relation to Huawei products, and also more generally.
In August 2023, Huawei announced the launch of the "HUAWEI Mate 60 Pro Pioneer Plan”. Internet users again jokingly to poke fun at the new product. But there is perhaps more "leading" and less "exaggeration" to come from Huawei in 2024, with Yu Chengdong hinting this week there are more "leading, innovative, and disruptive" products to come next year, and more cause for concern in the US as highlighted by US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo this week.
5. Buddy
搭子 dā zi
饭搭子是在人比较孤独的时候喊个人一起吃饭聊天，但平时不怎么联系 - A "meal buddy" is someone you hang out with when you don't want to eat alone, but have little contact with outside of that.
Background:
From the word “card buddy” 牌搭子, which in the Shanghai dialect means someone you play cards with. Over time, its usage has expanded to refer to people engaging in specific activities together.
“Buddy” 搭子 is a new type of relationship in China, “lighter than a friendship but deeper than a colleague relationship.” This phrase is a must-know and can be adapted to different situations.
Related:
饭搭子 fàn dā zi - meal buddy
旅游搭子 lǚ yóu dā zi - travel buddy
运动搭子 yùn dòng dā zi - exercise buddy
6. Really?
尊嘟假嘟 zūn dū jiǎ dū
我听说了，老板说这个月开始涨工资。尊嘟假嘟 - I heard the boss is going to increase our wages this month. Really?!
Background:
From an account on Bilibili, 伯恩山 bot. The phrase is an onomatopoeia from a computer-generated voice sounding like a pet saying “really?! (真的假的 zhēn de jiǎ de) in Chinese.
On social media it means “unbelievable.” Although it sounds cute, it also shows annoyance and criticism of insincere behaviour.
7. The "I miss you" wind has come to...
想你的风还是吹到了... xiǎng nǐ de fēng hái shì chuī dào le …
不知何时起，“我在xx很想你”、“想你的风还是吹到了xx”……这样的路牌成了全国各地旅游景点的流行元素，也成了网红拍照打卡点 - I don’t know since when, but street signs like “I miss you so much in xx” and “The 'I miss you' wind has come to xx” can be seen everywhere in tourist attractions across the country, and have also become popular selfie spots.
Background:
Started as a slogan in promotional videos of tourist destinations. In recent times, there has been a wave of "'I miss you' wind" (想你的风) online.
The phrase is seen on road signs at tourist attractions, including popular sites, streets, and even entire cities, to encourage tourists to take selfies and post images of themselves online.
Related:
竹筒奶茶 zhú tǒng nǎi chá - Milk tea in bamboo tube (another tourist consumer craze which was popular this year).
8. I am feeling great (not)
精神状态良好 jīng shén zhuàng tài liáng hǎo
网友们常常使用“我现在精神状态良好”来暗示自己实际上精神状态并不好，反而非常不稳定 - Netizens often use "I am feeling great" to imply that they are actually not in a good mental state, but rather very unstable.
Background:
This is said ironically, actually meaning "I'm feeling emotionally unstable". The phrase became popular with young people as a way to cope with pressures of life. It’s a way of going "crazy" in order to relieve stress in the face of extreme competition, pressure, and anxiety.
Some brands, such as McDonald's, KFC, and Lele Tea 乐乐茶, have effectively used the "good mental state" theme in their marketing campaigns, resonating with young people in need of emotional release, and some fun.
Related:
精神内耗 jīng shén nèi hào - emotional anxiety
卷又卷不动， 躺又躺不平 juǎn yòu juǎn bú dòng, tǎng yòu tǎng bù píng - too tired to compete and too scared to lie flat
9. Magnificent wealth
泼天的富贵 pō tiān de fù guì
网友将这波流量带来的收益戏称为“泼天的富贵” - Netizens nicknamed the income brought by this wave of web traffic as "the boundless wealth that can cover the sky".
Background:
Direct translation: "incomparable wealth, power, and status that floods the heavens." The origin of this expression is believed to come from a line in the classic Chinese novel Dream of the Red Chamber (红楼梦).
It became popular following livestreaming e-commerce star Li Jiaqi’s 李佳琦 eyebrow pencil pricing incident in September, when he told a viewer to work harder to afford the 79 yuan product. Chinese brands saw an opportunity, creating product combos priced at 79 yuan. Bee and Flower 蜂花, a shampoo brand, sold extremely well using this strategy. On grabbing 79 yuan deals, netizens joked: "This enormous wealth has finally come to me!" (这波泼天富贵轮到我了). It’s poking fun at Li Jiaqi, highlighting successful brands, and expresses the feeling of "winning while lying down." (躺赢).
Related:
哪李贵了 nǎ lǐ guì le - Austin Li is out of touch (At the time, this was a much more popular meme, which we discussed in this newsletter).
10. From questioning them, to understanding them, to becoming them
质疑...，理解...，成为... zhì yí..., lǐ jiě..., chéng wéi...
质疑父母，理解父母，成为父母 - From questioning your parents, to understanding them, and finally becoming like them.
Background:
Originally from the TV series iPartment 爱情公寓, a sitcom first aired in 2009. The character Lin Wanyu 林宛瑜 rejects her boyfriend's marriage proposal, choosing to pursue her career. At first, the audience doesn’t understand and is critical (质疑), but they eventually understand (理解), and some even identify and claim to be like her (成为).
Earlier this year, the phrase "Question Wanyu, understand Wanyu, become Wanyu” (质疑宛瑜，理解宛瑜，成为宛瑜) gained popularity on social media. This structure became a widely used sentence format in other contexts.
Related:
质疑班主任，理解班主任，成为班主任 - Question the teacher, understand the teacher, become the teacher
Other important buzzwords of 2023
The following phrases are the rest of the buzzwords from the three top ten lists that didn't quite make the cut for our top ten, but are important for you to know.
