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Many Chinese youngsters are unhappy with the outlook of their careers, and life in general.
Their outlook is gloomier than it used to be.
Unemployment among urban Chinese aged 16 to 24 is over 20%, with 70% of them being university graduates, according to a report in The Economist this week.
This malaise felt by many young people is expressed in new phrases which have emerged in the last two years.
We have learned about them in this newsletter. Such as:
摆烂 bǎi làn - “let it rot”
躺平 tǎng píng - “lying flat”
内卷 nèi juǎn - “intense competition for ever scarcer resources”
Having had enough of the intense grind of life, China’s Gen Zers are finding ways to cope with the pressure. They find ways to entertain themselves, save time, or cut corners.
This new approach to life is called 糊弄学 hùnong xué, which translates as “slacking off”, “blagging” or “bluffing it”. It first came into use in 2020 but has become more prominent this summer.
And it’s not just about cutting corners at work. An article in the media outlet Huxiu 虎嗅 interviews a group of eight youngsters in China, who are applying it to all parts of their lives:
We spoke with several young people who are proficient in "bluffing" in their daily lives. Among them, some are bluffing through blind dates in order to cope with their parents’ demand; some bluff at work during overtime; others bluff their way through intensive travel plans, going to places briefly just to check it out; and there are even some people, in order to save high haircut costs, who bluff their way by cutting their own hair.
我们和几位在日常生活中精通“糊弄学”的年轻人聊了聊他们的“糊弄”日常。他们当中，有人为了应付父母“糊弄式”相亲；有人为了应付不合理的公司制度，开启“摸鱼式”加班；有人原本计划完成15城的随心飞计划，却不想只维持了两周，就变成了“糊弄式”打卡；也有人，为了节省高昂的理发费用，“糊弄式”剪头发……
This minimum input maximum output philosophy is not too dissimilar from the 'quiet quitting' trend seen in western countries during and post-covid.
So, that's what we explore this week!
Favourite Five
1. 摸鱼 mō yú
feeling fish, slacking off during work hours
有人为了应付不合理的公司制度，开启“摸鱼式”加班 - Some people, in order to deal with unreasonable company policies, slack off during overtime.
Related: 划水 huá shuǐ - ‘rowing’ - idling away time during work hours
2. 糊弄学 hù nong xué
bluffing, the art of muddling through or getting by
我们和几位在日常生活中精通“糊弄学”的年轻人聊了聊他们的“糊弄”日常 - We chatted with several young people who are well-versed in the art of bluffing their way through things, discussing with them how they do it on a daily basis.
More: Read more in this week’s The China Project Phrase of the Week where we translate it as ‘quiet quitting’.
Related:
躺平 tǎng píng - Lying flat, a lifestyle of taking it easy and avoiding stress
佛系 fó xì - Buddhist style, a carefree and laid-back attitude towards life
3. 白人饭 bái rén fàn
white people's food
近日，“能冷食绝不开火，能整食绝不切开”的“白人饭”火了 - Recently, the term ‘white people's food’ has become popular, which humorously describes the preference for cold meals and as little prep as possible.
4. 见缝插针 jiàn fèng chā zhēn
stick a pin wherever there is room, seize every opportunity
开始见缝插针地劝我谈恋爱，外加半强迫式地让我去相亲 - They started to encourage me to start dating at every occasion, even going so far as to semi-forcefully set me up for blind dates.
5. 三天打鱼，两天晒网 sān tiān dǎ yú, liǎng tiān shài wǎng
To work inconsistently or irregularly, taking breaks frequently or not being fully committed to a task
健身4年的我，一直是“三天打鱼两天晒网”的状态，一边吃不了健身的“苦”，一边又不想放弃 - As someone who has been working out for 4 years, I've been very inconsistent. I find exercising hard, but I don’t want to give it up.
Consuming the Conversation
Useful words
6. 晒 shài
to share images on social media
小红书上，不少网友“晒”着自己“维持生命体征”的“白人饭” - On the social media platform RED, many users share images of their 'white people's food', which they rely on to sustain their vital signs.
Related: po (pōu) to 'post' on social media
7. 颓废 tuí fèi
listless; having a negative attitude towards life
“白人饭”火爆背后，映射出的是现在年轻人对生活积极中略带一丝“颓废”的态度 - The popularity of 'white people's food' reflects a slightly negative attitude of young people towards life, even though they remain positive overall.
8. 码字 mǎ zì
write or type content for an extended period of time
我经常需要长时间集中地‘码字’，之前为了节省时间总是点外卖 - I often need to concentrate for a long time to write content on my computer. So I used to order takeout to save time.
9. 洒脱 sǎ tuō
free and easy, carefree
既要避免与主流思想冲突又要保持自我的洒脱态度 - They need to avoid clashing with mainstream ideas while maintaining their own carefree and independent attitude.
10. 追剧 zhuī jù
binge-watch a TV series
被吃饭“糊弄学”拯救之下的我，也因此可以挤出1~2个小时的时间悠闲躺平追剧 - Thanks to the salvation of bluffing, I can also spare a couple of hours to leisurely lie down and binge-watch TV series.
11. 宅女 zhái nǚ
woman who prefers to stay at home
这对于我这个宅女来说，已经算是“长途跋涉”了 - For me, as a woman who prefers to stay at home, this is already considered a long journey.
More: 长途跋涉 cháng tú bá shè - A long journey made on foot
12. 发愁 fā chóu
worried, anxious, at loss
正在发愁的我，就随口说道，“要不给我吧，反正我还没有给我儿子买礼物” - While I still didn’t know what to give my son for Children’s Day, I casually said, "How about giving it to me? After all, I haven't bought a gift for my son yet."
13. 搪塞 táng sè
deceive, evade
并不是所有相亲都可以用这些话术搪塞过去 - Not all blind dates can be dealt with using these evasive language tactics.
14. 下饭 xià fàn
appetising, looks delicious
尤其是川渝地区的美食种类多且很下饭，那半个月体重也是直线上升 - The cuisine in Sichuan and Chongqing regions is particularly diverse and very appetizing, causing my weight to increase rapidly in just half a month.
Three-characters
15. 小聪明 xiǎo cōng ming
a little cleverness or trickery
但这点小聪明很快被领导发现，提醒我日报不能这么糊弄，要多加思考再提交 - However, this little trick was quickly noticed by the leader, who reminded me I cannot just fill the report up with superficial information, and I should give more thought to it.
Note: a shallow or superficial attempt to solve a problem
16. 特种兵 tè zhǒng bīng
special forces, intense activity that only special forces go through
