Welcome to RealTime Mandarin!
It’s a free weekly resource helping you learn contemporary Chinese in context, maintain and improve your Mandarin skills, and stay on top of the latest language trends in China.
Subscribe now to get the next newsletter in your inbox on Saturday.
Chinese electric vehicle brand NIO (蔚来汽车 wèilái qìchē) plans to build smartphones, according to leaks on social media.
If the rumours are true, NIO will be entering a cutthroat market dominated by companies like Apple, Huawei, and Xiaomi.
Some observers in China (36Kr in Chinese) are not convinced that NIO's move into mobile phones is going to work:
仅凭自身的品牌溢价,想在竞争激烈的手机市场上走出一条高端化之路并不容易 - It is not easy to break into a higher-end tier in the highly competitive mobile phone market based only on its existing brand value.
Other commentators reckon China’s new EV players are going to have a tough time (Sohu - in Chinese) competing with each other and with the next generation of new EV brands, as well as with much bigger incumbents in these new sectors:
在行业竞争加剧和二线造车新势力与传统车企联合绞杀等的影响下,他们会再次迎来一段“苦日子” - With increased competition with new comers and the incumbents, they will have hard times ahead.
What’s happening in China’s EV market is typical of any ‘wind vent’, or the ‘next big’ sector (fēng kǒu 风口): fierce competition, hot capital, aggressive diversification and eventually some spectacular crashes.
So this week we learn language to discuss this cross-over move by NIO as well as a number of other EV companies in China.
The Favourite Five: five words and phrases you need to know to talk about this trend
Consuming the Conversation: digging into the basics, useful words, idioms and phrases
In the recommendations section there’s information about a new publication of modern Chinese literature by Paper Republic, and an exciting member update!
1. The Favourite Five
I carefully selected my favourite five words and phrases this week. The first two are neologisms specific to this industry. There’s also two old idioms and a proverb, used in a modern setting.
造机 zàojī - making mobile phones
蔚来已经初步搭建了手机业务部门,准备跨界“造机” - NIO has already established a preliminary mobile phone department, in preparation to go into manufacturing mobile phones.
Note: expect to see this new word a lot in the coming weeks as more companies follow suit. Look out for another new one, 造机潮 zàojīcháo - ‘the wave of making mobiles’.
造车新势力 zào chē xīn shìlì - new force in automotive manufacturing, major new players in EV
对于尚未完全实现盈亏平衡的造车新势力来说无异于百上加斤 - For these new automotive companies that have not yet fully reached break-even, this may be going too far.
刺刀见红 cìdāo jiàn hóng - a bloody battle
为了稳住自己的位置、抢到一张通往美好未来的船票,一场刺刀见红的肉搏战,正在酝酿 - In order to consolidate its own position and gain access to a bright future, NIO is ready for a bloody battle with its competitors.
More: 肉搏战 ròu bó zhàn - hand to hand combat, a fist fight
风马牛不相及 fēng mǎ niú bù xiāng jí - ‘wind - horse - cow - not - linked’, totally unrelated
押宝和自身业务风马牛不相及的手机、元宇宙,是风险极高的 - Betting on mobile phones and the Metaverse, which is totally unrelated to its own business, is a high risk move.
病急乱投医 bìng jí luàn tóuyī - turn to any doctor to help when critically ill, try anything when in a desperate situation
“蔚小理”急于发展副业是必然,但“病急乱投医”并不可取 - It’s no surprise that NIO is keen to develop other business lines, but it must avoid doing so because it's in a desperate situation.
2. Consuming the Conversation
The basics
Have you had enough of not knowing your NIOs from your CATLs, or your Li Bin’s from your Li Xiang’s?
These are the companies and their founders you should know…
The three main new EV brands, or 造车新势力 zào chē xīn shìlì, in Chinese are:
蔚来汽车 wèi lái qìchē - NIO, founded by Lǐ Bīn 李斌
小鹏汽车 xiǎopéng qìchē - X-Peng Automotive, founded by Hé Xiǎopéng 何小鹏
理想汽车 lǐxiǎng qìchē - Li Auto, founded by Lǐ Xiǎng 李想
Two big players investing in the tech:
小米集团 xiǎomǐ jítuán - Xiaomi Group, founded by Léi Jūn 雷军
宁德时代 níngdé shídài - Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Limited, or CATL, founded by Céng Yùqún 曾毓群
And two new EV disruptors upsetting the upsetters:
哪吒 né zhā qìchē - NETA Auto, founded by Zhāng Yǒng 张勇
领跑科技 líng pǎo kējì - Leap Motor, founded by Zhū Jiāngmíng 珠江明
Useful words
These words came up in discussions about NIO’s mobile phone move. They can also come up regularly in more general conversations with investor-y types or entrepreneurs in China.
萌芽 méngyá - bud, early stage
和尚在萌芽阶段的蔚来手机项目相比,小鹏的飞行汽车项目有更多值得关注的动态 - Compared to NIO’s mobile phone business, which is still very much in its infancy, X-Peng’s flying car project has much more to it.
大鳄 dà è - big crocodile, the big incumbent
股东名单里包括360集团和宁德时代等大鳄 - The shareholder list includes the likes of 360 Group and CATL.
Note: huge tech companies like Alibaba can also be referred to as whales - 鲸鱼 jīng yú
贴牌 tiē pái - ‘stick label’, white labelling
蔚来要进军竞争激烈的手机行业,且基本上排除贴牌的可能性 - NIO intends to enter the highly competitive mobile phone sector, and it has ruled out the possibility of white labelling products from another manufacturer.
套……皮 tào pí - putting on a skin
当前的手机产业,它就是套一层互联网的皮,其实本质上来说,就是一种小家电产业 - The mobile phone industry has the veneer of an internet industry but in actual fact it is really just like the small electronic goods sector.
趟过 tāng guò - wade through, get over
这是闯入手机行业的车企需要趟过的另一道护城河 - This is one barrier to entry that all automotive companies need to overcome if they are to enter the mobile phone market.
Related: 护城河 hùchénghé - moat, barrier to entry (see 3 April 2022 newsletter).
赋能 fù néng - leverage or give power to
同时在汽车智能化、软件能力建设、科技化转型等方面相互赋能,实现协同 - At the same time, they leverage off each other’s automotive AI, software capability, and technological transformation to achieve synergies.
下沉 xià chén - going into second- and third-tier markets
以高性价比闻名的小鹏高调进驻北京三里屯,走中高端路线的蔚来、理想则加速下沉 - X-Peng, known for its affordability, entered Sanlitun with some fanfare, while the mid-market and high-end players, NIO and Li Auto, have accelerated their advance into the lower tier markets.
Related: 性价比 xìng jià bǐ - affordable, see 20 November 2021 newsletter
捣鼓 dǎo gu - experiment with
无论是蔚来选择的手机,还是小鹏捣鼓的飞行汽车,都不见得一定有光明未来 - Regardless of whether it’s NIO going into mobile phones, or X-Peng experimenting with flying cars, it will not necessarily hold a bright future for either.
Three-character words
This week’s three-character colloquial phrases are all linked by feet and hands radicals!
拦路虎 lán lù hǔ - ‘a tiger blocking the road’, a road block
蔚来汽车等造车新势力但却面临着潜在的拦路虎 - NIO and other EV players face significant challenges to overcome.
Related: 绊脚石 bàn jiǎo shí - a stumbling block
插一脚 chā yī jiǎo - put a foot in
李斌要在雷军的地盘插上一脚 - Li Bin has made a move into Lei Jun’s territory.
Related: 踩一脚 cǎi yī jiǎo - step into, or step onto
蹭热点 cèng rèdiǎn - grab attention on social media
除了蹭了一波元宇宙热点之外,尚未开启真正的跨界业务 - Apart from grabbing some attention on social media on the wave of interest in the Metaverse, NIO has not done any actual cross-sector business yet.
Note: also 蹭热度 cèng rèdù as in 26 June 2021 newsletter
打江山 dǎ jiāngshān - hitting the rivers and mountains, taking over the market
还在靠一款车打江山的理想,无疑需要尽快填补自身短板 - Li Auto undoubtedly needs to quickly address its shortfalls as it only has one model on the market.
排头兵 pái tóubīng - leading force
作为追赶“蔚小理”的二线造车新势力排头兵,哪吒和零跑的潜力绝对不容忽视 - As as leading force in the second-tier of new EV automotive brands, NETO Auto and Leap Motor have potential that cannot be overlooked.
Related: 牵头人 qiāntóu rén - lead contact
搅局者 jiǎojú zhě - disruptor
新的搅局者把压力抛给了不再新的造车新势力们 - The new disruptors have put the pressure back on the not-so-new ‘new automotive brands’.
佼佼者 jiǎojiǎo zhě - hall of fame, the who’s who (see 3 April 2021 newsletter).
Idioms
Here are five entrepreneurial idioms to add to your repertoire:
风生水起 fēngshēng shuǐqǐ - energetic, full of energy
就在雷军造车风生水起的时候,李斌却要回过头来造手机 - Just as Lei Jun is putting his all into making cars, Li Bin is going into manufacturing mobile phones.
招贤纳士 zhāoxián nàshì - hiring top quality talent
该项目进展的十分迅速,已经开始在为该项目招贤纳士 - This project is progressing rapidly. They have already started hiring top quality talent.
Related: 招兵买马 zhāo bīng mǎi mǎ - hiring soldiers, buying horses (see 22 Jan, 2022 newsletter)
不务正业 bùwù zhèngyè - not doing what you should be doing
蔚来做手机、小鹏造“飞机”,造车新势力为何集体不务正业? NIO is making mobile phones, X-Peng is manufacturing flying cars. Why are these new EV brands focussing on the things they are not as good at?
百上加斤 bǎi shàng jiājīn - adding one Jin to a hundred, adding to a heavy burden
对于尚未完全实现盈亏平衡的造车新势力来说无异于百上加斤 - For these new automotive companies that have not yet fully reached break-even, this may be too much to ask.
忆苦思甜 yìkǔ sītián - reminisce over the hard times to appreciate the good life now
李斌、何小鹏、李想聚在一起,拍下了一张历史性的合影。何小鹏还在微博写下了“三个苦逼,在忆苦思甜……”的感慨 - Li Bin, He Xiaopeng and Li Xiang were together when they took that historical photograph. He Xiaopeng even shared on social media: “Three workaholics, reminiscing…”.
More: 苦逼 kǔ bī - crazy workaholics
Become a member of RealTime Mandarin+
The RealTime Mandarin+ membership is a multimedia resource helping you learn contemporary Chinese in context
If you enjoyed reading the free newsletter, you’ll LOVE our paid membership: RealTime Mandarin+.
Joining Real-Time-Mandarin+, you’ll unlock loads of extra resources to help you dramatically improve your Chinese language skills.
Every week you get access to new content:
🔈Podcast - 30 min podcast every Saturday with 80% native Mandarin (including transcript)
📚 Resources and integrations - Pleco, Skritter, Hack Chinese, mylingua (new!), and PDF printouts
👩🎓 Intermediate newsfeed - One ‘real’ Chinese language news podcast and article published every Sunday, in a lesson format, pitched at an intermediate level
💬 Community - Slack community, Substack Chat, online meet-ups, in-person gatherings
🤿 Quarterly Deep Dives - One hour webinars focussing on one key challenge of intermediate learners delivered around the end of every quarter.
When you join, you’ll also have an optional 1-1 onboarding and coaching call to help orientate you.
It’s the best way to get motivated, inspired, and kick-start your Mandarin learning habit.
You can access all of these resources for less than the cost of one pint per week in a London pub.
It’s a no brainer (and much better for you)!
So, if you’ve been on the fence for a while, now is the time to confront it, invest in yourself, and commit!
Happy learning!
Andrew