Going for gold in the gaokao
Lucky phrases, superstitions and puns to help beat the competition
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Nearly 12 million Chinese students sat the national college entrance exams, or gāokǎo 高考, in China this week.
With the added stress of Covid and lockdowns, this year's university hopefuls face even greater challenges than normal. So need all the luck they can get.
Cooking certain meals the night before, or saying certain things on the day, are all important final superstitious touches (36Kr) to bring that extra bit of luck:
第一天穿红色，讨个“开门鸿运到”的彩头；
第二天穿紫色，答的题“紫腚都对”；
第三天穿黄色内裤，还会附赠灰色袜子一双，寓意金榜题名走向辉煌。
On Day 1 wear red, to kick off with a lucky start
On Day 2 wear purple, because purple buttocks are always correct
On Day 3 wear golden underpants and grey socks, which will bring glory of getting top marks
We also explore discussions on social media about the gaokao in response to this confusing comment by Weibo blogger @陈昊然 which is also supposed to bring good luck to this year’s gaokao students:
点赞全考985！评论全考211
If you like my post, you’ll be admitted into a 985 school. If you leave a comment below, you’ll get into a 211 school.
985 and 211 is a slang way to say top universities in China, which we discussed in May last year:
Project 985 or 985工程 jiǔ bā wǔ gōng chéng, was a programme to grow China’s elite universities announced at the 100th anniversary of Peking University on May 4, 1998. The name derives from the date of the announcement - May 1998, or 98/5.
Project 211, or 211工程 èr yāo yāo gōng chéng, was initiated in 1995 by the Ministry of Education of China with the intent of raising the research standards of high-level universities and cultivating strategies for socio-economic development. The name for the project comes from an abbreviation of the slogan 面向21世纪，办好100所高校 - one hundred universities for the 21st century.
So in this week’s newsletter we learn how to make sense of some lucky sayings, slang words and other superstitions that people have been talking about this week.
Favourite five
All of this week’s favourite words are either dialect words, or slang words that have come into use in the last five years. If you haven’t been to China for a few years, I can guarantee some or all of these will be new to you!
1. 锦鲤 jǐn lǐ
koi carp; lucky charm or good luck
考试前他们是给学子保驾护航的锦鲤 - They can bring luck to students before they take their exams.
Note: Internet slang word which first came into use in 2013 but became mainstream in 2018 when it was linked to an advertising campaign by Taobao.
2. 二臂 èr bì
two arms; you idiot
我985 211是点赞得来的这不是二臂吗 - So liking this comment can get me into a top university? Is this comment not really stupid?
Note: originally from the Chinese online swear word 二逼 èr bī, also written as ‘2b’; èr bì has become a popular way to have a good humoured go at people on TikTok in China. It’s come into more mainstream use online in recent months.
3. 搬砖 bān zhuān
dead end job
点赞全上带专，评论全去搬砖 - Those that are giving the thumbs-up are going to vocational school and will have great success, while those leaving comments will end up with dead-end jobs.
Note: 带专 dài zhuān here means vocational school, and is a homophone with 大专 dà zhuān - vocational college. dà zhuān is also Internet slang which has a similar meaning to 人上人 rén shàng rén ‘ superhuman’ which we first discussed in March last year. The reference here is those who go to vocational college will end up being much better off than (and potentially the bosses of) those in dead-end jobs.
4. 紫腚能行 zǐ dìng néng xíng
purple buttocks can do it; you can do it!
尤其在东北人的“紫腚能行”面前，别说高考作文，就没什么“过不去”的考试 - With the north eastern phrase, ‘purple buttocks can do it’, there is no gaokao test that you can’t pass.
5. 掂过碌蔗 diān guò lù zhè
very successful
在广东，送考队人手一根挂着香蕉的甘蔗，寓意“今朝掂过碌蔗”（今天一切顺利）- In Guangdong, students take a banana and a sugar cane with them to the exam hall for good luck. In Cantonese this means ‘today you are going to do really well’.
Note: the Cantonese idiom means ‘there is nothing straigther than a sugar cane’. Which is a metaphor for doing really well - 非常顺利 in Chinese.
Consuming the conversation
Going deep into the online conversations about this year’s gaokao, this week’s words of the week are tied together by working hard, good luck, bad luck and a sprinkling of puns with Chinese characteristics.
There are also a number of ‘classic’ gaokao idioms with a modern twist.
Useful words
鸿运 hóng yùn
good fortune
第一天穿红色，讨个“开门鸿运到”的彩头 - On the first day you wear something red to bring good luck at the start.
Note: a play on words from the phrase kāi mén hóng 开门红 get off to a good start.
神器 shén qì
objects that works wonders; lucky charm
形形色色的助考神器，直接让考试季带动GDP - Sales of all sorts of lucky charms in exams drive economic growth during the exam season.
忐忑 tǎn tè
nervous
全国上下的考生，都在效仿东北孩子，穿紫色内裤忐忑地走进考场 - Students across China are imitating those from the north east by wearing purple underpants as they nervously enter the exam halls.
晦气 huì qì
unlucky
本高考生看见你觉得晦气极了 - When I, as gaokao student about to take the exams, see you, I think that you bring me lots of bad luck.
殷切 yīn qiè
ardent, firm
小时候，期末考试那天再匆忙，也要在妈妈殷切的目光注视下吃完两个鸡蛋，再配一根油条，盼望可以考到100分 - When I was young, no matter how busy I was on the day of the final exam, I had to eat two eggs and one deep fried dough stick in the morning before I left, under the watchful eye of my mother to bring me good luck and hopefully get 100%.
没戏 méi xì
no play; no way
这个时候能给你点赞的高考生基本上没戏 - At this time, any gaokao students that have time to like your post on social media are basically not going to pass their exams.
Idioms
死皮赖脸 sǐ pí lài liǎn
thick skinned without any shame
后来开考前，死皮赖脸借一根写字好的同学用过的笔，坚信自己的字也会变得好看，起码卷面分有加成 - Just before the exam started, I would shamelessly borrow a pen used by a classmate who has better writing than me, in the belief that it will make my writing look better and bring a few extra points.
一臂之力 yī bì zhī lì
a helping hand
只要在考试当天穿上一条紫色内裤，便会考神附体；这句东北方言里蕴藏的吉祥之兆，将会助你一臂之力 - All you need to do is to wear a pair of purple underpants on the day and you will be able to answer all questions; this auspicious north eastern Chinese saying will bring good luck and give you a helping hand.
Note: 考神附体 kǎo shén fù tǐ - with the help help of the God of Exams, meaning you’re going to pass all exams.
妙笔生花 miào bǐ shēng huā
to write skilfully
四川的小伙伴则会在考试前“讨花生”，因为“妙笔生花” - Kids in Sichuan will eat peanuts before an exam because it will help them excel in the essay writing.
Note: play on words, the word for peanut 花生 huā shēng sounds similar to ‘write beautifully’, 生花 shēng huā. It can also be said the other way round as 生花妙笔 shēng huā miào bǐ.
Note: traced back to poet Wáng Rényù 王仁裕 who lived during the ‘five generations’ (五代 wǔ dài) period spanning the Tang and Song dynasties. See classics below.
逢考必过 féng kǎo bì guò
you will pass any exam
鲜红色的对勾、金色的“逢考必过”字样印在内裤上，穿上便能在走进考场的那一刻获取气定神闲的自信 - With bright red ticks and golden characters saying ‘you will pass any exam’ printed on your underpants, it brings a sense of confidence in that moment when you enter the exam hall.
名列前茅 míng liè qián máo
listed at the top, among the best
考试必吃榜上，炖鲤鱼永远名列前茅，不仅因为它是东北常见的淡水鱼，更为了“鱼跃龙门”的好兆头 - Always at the top of the list of must-eat dishes before the gaokao are stewed carp. That’s not just because it’s ubiquitous in north eastern China, it’s also a good omen because of the ‘carp that jumped the dragon’s gate’.
Note: we first discussed the fable of the carp that jumped the dragon’s gate in May last year. See phrases section below.
金榜题名 jīn bǎng tí míng
have passed the examination; one's name was put on the published list of successful candidates
第三天穿黄色内裤，还会附赠灰色袜子一双，寓意金榜题名走向辉煌 - On the third day, students should wear golden underpants and grey socks which means they will get great results and have a bright future.
Note: 金榜题名 jīn bǎng tí míng was first discussed in last year’s gaokao newsletter.
Note: ‘grey socks’ is a play on words with 辉煌 huī huáng, glory, which sounds the same as 灰 huī and yellow or gold 黄 huáng.
耳提面命 ěr tí miàn mìng
hold by the ear and give direct instructions
要在“考前动员大会”上被班主任们耳提面命，必须记住的 - In the kick off meeting before the gaokao, the form leaders give them all a stern talking to, which you must remember.
煞费苦心 shà fèi kǔ xīn
painstakingly
从作文题目就能看出出题人真是“煞费苦心”，所谓的“公平正义”看来也只是嘴上说说罢了，德先生，赛先生也都死了好多年了 - Judging by the questions, you can see how much effort the people who wrote the questions have put into this. So-called fairness apparently has no meaning. Democracy and science have long since died.
Note: if you are interested in CCP history, the backstory of Mr Democracy (德先生 dé xiānshēng) and Mr Science (赛先生 sài xiān shēng) by one of the founders of the CCP 陈独秀 Chén Dúxiù is worth a read.
Phrases
活到老，学到老 huó dào lǎo, xué dào lǎo
learn for as long as you can live; live and learn
有话说得好“活到老，学到老”，用来形容“东北高考玄学”再合适不过 - The old saying of ‘learn as long as you live’ puts it well and describes how people in north eastern China approach their studies.
Note: 玄学 xuán xué this translates as metaphysics or Chinese philosophy, but it’s usually used sarcastically to mean superstition or things you can’t explain.
讨个好彩头 tǎo ge hǎo cǎi tóu
do something to bring good luck
大家一起在欢乐的气氛里闹一闹，讨个好彩头，似乎也就没那么紧张了 - Everyone enjoys being together in such a friendly atmosphere. It gets things off to a good start and stops people feeling so nervous.
鲤鱼跳了龙门 lǐ yú tiào le lóng mén
the Carp Jumped the Dragon Gate becoming a dragon; achieve great success
在中国,几乎人人都梦想着鲤鱼跳龙门 - In China virtually everyone has big dreams.
Note: from an ancient Chinese folklore about the Yellow River Carp (黄河鲤鱼 - huánghé lǐyú), a golden-scaled fish and one of the few that can survive the muddy water of the Yellow River. Legend has it that if the carp jumps over the Dragon Gate (in Yellow River Canyon in Hejin City, Shanxi Province) it will become a dragon. It’s a metaphor for describing brilliant people who have succeeded against all odds through hard work.
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