Top 10 buzzwords of 2016
Society & Culture
A list of the most popular new words and phrases in the Chinese media and internet over the past year.
Yaowen Jiaoziย is a Chinese magazine that the translator Joel Martinsen callsย โone of the most delightfully peculiar magazines available,โ with a mission to turn โa critical eye to the misuse and abuse of language in Chinese society.โ This year, it published a list of the top ten buzzwordsย in China in 2016. The editors at The China Projectย have translated the list and linked each buzzword to an article in English explaining a bit about its origins and application.
- “Supply-side” ไพ็ปไพง gongjice: The economics term was highlighted in November 2015 at a government planning meeting. “Supply-side structural reform” is now commonly used in official documents, often referring to cutting excessive capacity and lowering production costs.
- โCraftsman spiritโย ๅทฅๅ ็ฒพ็ฅ gongjiang jingshen: Premier Li Keqiang, who is responsible for steering economic policy, used this word in the annual Government Work Report in March 2016 to refer to raising quality standards and boosting manufacturing industries through innovation.
- “Small target“ย ๅฐ็ฎๆ xiaomubiao:ย Chinese billionaire Wang Jianlin suggested young people should not be “too ambitious” and should ย “set a small target first, like earning 100 million yuan ($14 million),” during a television show in August. The remark made a splash on social media with an internet user joking, “That’s one small step for Wang, but a giant leap for mankind”.
- “Prehistorical power” ๆดช่ไนๅ honghuang zhili: In an interview after the semifinal of women’s 100-meter backstroke in the Rio Olympics, Chinese swimmer Fu Yuanhui, known for her comical phrases and exaggerated facial expressions, said she “has used prehistorical powers” when asked if she had preserved her strength. It soon became internet meme.
- โWatermelon-eating massesโย ๅ็็พคไผ chigua qunzhong:ย This phrase became popular on the internet to describe a group of spectators who watch an event taking place but do not participate or express their opinions.
- “Friendship sinks only too quickly”ย ๅ่ฐ็ๅฐ่น๏ผ่ฏด็ฟปๅฐฑ็ฟป ย youyide xiaochuan, shuofan jiufan: What kind of a ship never sinks? Friendship! A group of cartoons starring cute penguins went viral on social media, as they illustrated how friendship could become unbalanced.
- “Ge You repose” ่ไผ่บบ geyoutang:ย Two decades after the Chinese sitcom โI Love My Familyโ was broadcast, a screenshot from the TV series of the โcomfortable but inelegantโ inclining pose of Chinese comic actor Ge You was turned into an emoji icon.
- โTrickโย ๅฅ่ทฏ taolu:ย (No English sources available, but see this Chinese articleย for more.)ย This term initially referred to a set of martial arts movements or a system of technology and methods. In 2016, internet users used this term to indicate a well-prepared trick or trap.
- โWhenever you disagree with each otherโฆโ ไธ่จไธๅๅฐฑ… ย yiyan buhejiuโฆ:ย This phrase describes someone being capricious or willful.
- โThin blue mushroomโ ่็ฆ้ฆ่ lanshou xianggu: This phrase was created when a video went viral in which a young man expressed his sad feelings after a breakup. In the video, he was heard saying โlan shou xiang guโ due to his heavy accent. In fact, he meant to say โupsetโ (nan shou) and โwant to cryโ (xiang ku).
