Pop singer upsets "small town test takers"
Reactions to a condescending article in state media about TF Boys singer Jackson Yee National Theatre of China job offer
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Pop singer, Jackson Yee (易烊千玺 yì yáng qiān xǐ), the youngest singer in Chinese boy band TF Boys, is caught up in a controversy and social media backlash.
The National Theatre of China (国家话剧院 guó jiā huà jù yuàn) hired him and two other actors into graduate jobs sparking concerns over transparency.
The public sector roles, biān zhì 编制 in Chinese, are highly sought-after jobs with attractive perks: extended for life, a stable income, housing subsidies, and other benefits.
Following the backlash, Yee has apologised on his Weibo, and decided not to take the job, denying any irregularities in the hiring process.
Further controversy came with an article in the state-run publication, News China (中国新闻周刊 zhōngguó xīnwén zhōukān) on 8 July, which has since been deleted.
In the article, senior journalist Yang Shiyang suggests that celebrities like Jackson Yee are simply more talented than 'ordinary people', no matter how hard those people work:
There are many ordinary people that take the exams. These 'small town test takers' take tutoring classes every day, do practice tests, and they still can't obtain a public sector position with job security.
考编的普通人大有人在,这些小镇做题家每天上培训班,做真题卷,也仍然考不中那个能为他们带来安全感的编制内职务
The original definition of a small town test taker is:
A young student born in a small town, who studies very hard, is good at taking exams, but lacks certain vision and social resources.
出身小城,埋头苦读,擅长应试,缺乏一定视野和资源的青年学子
The phrase originated from a Douban discussion group in May 2020, called ‘985 trash introduction plan’ (985 废物引进计划 jiǔ bā wǔ fèiwù yǐnjìn jìhuà), for graduates from China’s top universities who originally came from the countryside. In the group these ‘small town test takers’ shared their experiences of being disadvantaged compared to their peers in big cities during and after university.
The reason why the News China article hit a nerve is because:
The phrase ‘small town test taker’ started out as self-deprecating. Having a go at yourself is fine. But condescending criticism is not acceptable, especially when it’s from a state media outlet with ‘China’ in its title.
“小镇错题家”其实最早来源于自嘲的话,自嘲可以,但被你这样高高在上的批判,就让人恶心了,尤其是你还是加着“中国”俩字的官媒
In response to the article, people shared stories of themselves or their parents who, through hard work and passing gaokao exams years ago, were able to make a better life for their families:
Effort and hard work should be valued. Being a 'small town test taker' is evidence of having worked hard, and should not be a label to be ridiculed.
努力、拼搏应该是一种可贵的品质,“小镇做题家”也应该是一个人努力过的证明,而不是被嘲讽的标签
So that’s what we focus on this week!
Favourite Five
啃老 kěn lǎo
‘eat old’; living off your parents
“二战”失败后,我不好意思再待在家里“啃老”,就出来找了一份工作 - After the second time I failed, I felt too bad staying at home and living off my parents. So I went out and found myself a job.
Note: Internet slang word which refers to young people who have given up on education or finding a job and instead live off their parents.
More: the phrase 二战 èr zhàn here means ‘trying a second time’. In many of the stories shared, small town test takers often had to have several attempts at passing their tests - describing each time as a war.
小镇做题家 xiǎo zhèn zuò tí jiā
small town test taker
看了舆论才知道,原来我们这种努力学习,以求考上更好的学校,获得更好生活的人,叫做‘小镇做题家’ - After reading the comments, I realised that people like us who work hard in order to get into a good university and have a better life, are known as ‘small town test taker’s.
Background: more in SupChina phrase of the week on how this phrase has evolved in the last two years.
More: 小镇错题本 xiǎo zhèn cuò tí běn - a failed small town test taker
但我题做得不好,也没考上985、211、清北,应该叫‘小镇错题本’ - But I was not good at tests, I didn’t get accepted by any top universities. I should be called a failed small town test taker.
抢破头 qiǎng pò tóu
force your head to break; do whatever it takes
更何况4、5个县的考生抢破头争着进 - Students from 4-5 counties take tests and will do anything to pass.
Note: this phrase reminds me of the idiom 头破血流 tóu pò xuè liú, which can mean ‘futile’ in Chinese.
寒门出贵子 hán mén chū guì zǐ
it is possible to succeed even if you’re from a poor family; a successful child from a poor family
寒门贵子不该被嘲讽为小镇做题家 - A successful child from a poor family shouldn’t be ridiculed as a small town test taker.
Note: the shorter version here (without 出 chū) means a successful child from a poor family
More: 寒门 hán mén means ‘a poor family’ in Chinese
横眉冷对 héng méi lěng duì
glaring and pointing angrily
对于演艺明星和整个行业的冷嘲热讽、横眉冷对就是个问题 - The problem is they ridicule and point the finger at celebrities and the whole entertainment industry.
More: originally appears in Lǔ Xùn 鲁迅 1932 poem, Self Mockery 自嘲 zì cháo.
Note: the full phrase is 横眉冷对千夫指,俯首甘为孺子牛 héng méi lěng duì qiān fū zhǐ, fǔ shǒu gān wéi rú zǐ niú - A thousand angry pointing fingers, head bowed like a willing ox.
Consuming the Conversation
Useful words
上岸 shàng àn
get to shore; pass a test
有四战考研终于上岸 - After my fourth attempt I finally got onto the post-graduate course.
Note: previously discussed in 2 April newsletter this year.
头筹 tóu chóu
top spot
我爸果真在中考时拔得了全乡头筹 - My dad got the best scores in the whole township in his test scores.
Note: usually used in combination with 拔得 bá dé, which here means to achieve or obtain.
死学 sǐ xué
studying to death; cramming
县城大部分“死学”的学生,英语都不太好 - Most students from small towns, who cram for their tests, are not good at English.
Note: the opposite of studying smart
泥泞 ní nìng
muddy; challenges
一路风雨泥泞,许多不容易 - It’s a long and difficult road with lots of challenges.
抢坑 qiǎng kēng
take your spot
当看见从市场上赚大钱的明星,还要分走几个编制内身份时,总觉得抢了自己的坑 - When they see celebrities who have made lots of money take public sector roles, it feels like their jobs have been taken away from them.
Three-character
咬着牙 yǎo zhe yá
grit one’s teeth
我咬着牙把书来来去去地翻,甚至哪个字在那一页都记得清清楚楚 - I grit my teeth, reading my books from cover to cover. I could even clearly remember which character was on which page.
人上人 rén shàng rén
super human; creme de la creme
用更高的学历做跳板进大公司,换取我想要的“人上人”生活 - With a better education, I can use that as a spring board to get a job at a big company. I can get the privileged life I dream for.
Note: First discussed in 6 March newsletter last year.
打鸡血 dǎ jī xiě
give yourself a pick-up
我困了也不靠喝咖啡解乏,就是打鸡血,告诉自己要考上大学 - I don’t rely on drinking coffee when I’m tired. I just tell myself: I must get into university!
Note: one of my favourite Chinese phrases which we first discussed in 13 May newsletter last year.
Idioms
This week’s idioms follow the experiences of a small town test taker - from poverty to academic success.
食不果腹 shí bù guǒ fù
have hardly anything to eat
她和奶奶、两位叔叔一起,过着食不果腹的生活 - She lived a very poor life with my grandmother and two uncles.
穷则思变 qióng zé sī biàn
poverty makes you want to change the status quo
不过,穷则思变。生活的穷困练就了爸爸顽强的意志 - But being poor made my dad want to change things for the better. Living in poverty helped him gain his tenacity.
梦寐以求 mèng mèi yǐ qiú
a long cherished goal
我找到了一份梦寐以求的工作 - I found my dream job.
痴心妄想 chī xīn wàng xiǎng
wishful thinking
在普遍早婚的村里,我成了只会痴心妄想的异类 - In a village where most people get married young, I was the unusual one who had a dream of something better.
挑灯夜读 tiǎo dēng yè dú
burning the midnight oil
因为上学的这份来之不易,爸爸在高中期间总是挑灯夜读 - My dad knew that his high-school education did not come easily, so he studied really hard throughout.
寒窗苦读 hán chuāng kǔ dú
studying hard in the cold window; a hard-working student from a poor background
《中国新闻周刊》对这些寒窗苦读的学子的努力嗤之以鼻 - News China turned its nose up at these hard working students from poor backgrounds.
温故知新 wēn gù zhī xīn
review the old and learn new
他备考中考,利用一切在校时间去温故知新 - In preparing for his gaokao exam, he used all his time in school to revise and learn.
倒背如流 dào bèi rú liú
learn something back to front
不仅将备考书都翻烂了,专业书和政治书也让我“倒背如流” - I not only used his revision book so much it started to fall apart, I also studied books on politics and my major until I knew them back to front.
背水一战 bèi shuǐ yī zhàn
the last stand
我决定用此前攒下的一点积蓄“背水一战” - I decided to use the money I had saved to give it one final go.
名列前茅 míng liè qián máo
top of the rankings
为了避免面试被刷掉的情况,我必须保证自己在笔试中名列前茅 - To avoid failing my interview, I must make sure I get top marks in the written test.
Note: previously discussed in 11 June newsletter last month.
Phrases
杀出一条血路 shā chū yī tiáo xuè lù
achieve something that is virtually impossible
用最“笨拙”又质朴的办法,为家族的命运“杀”出了一条路 - Using the most simple way, he managed to make a better future for the family against all the odds.
Background: credited to Deng Xiaoping in the early days of Shenzhen in the late 1970’s. Also made famous more recently by Huawei boss Ren Zhengfei.
功夫不负有心人 gōng fu bù fù yǒu xīn rén
hard work pays off
功夫不负有心人,我爸高考考上了浙江大学 - Hard work pays off. My dad passed his gaokao exam and got into Zhejiang University.
Note: previously discussed in 22 June newsletter.
养儿一百岁,长忧九十九 yǎng ér yī bǎi suì, cháng yōu jiǔ shí jiǔ
raise a child until they are 100, worry about them until they are 99; a parent always worries about their children
“养儿一百岁,长忧九十九”。父母为了让我日后能有一份稳定且挣钱的工作,尽管我“一战”失败了,但他们还是鼓励我再考 - A parent always worries about their children. My parents just wanted me to have a stable job to make money. Even though I failed the first time I took the exam, they encouraged me to do the test again.
Note: Put beautifully, and just like any parent anywhere in the world….
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