汉语新词英语翻译

空军(kong1jun1)

believer in housing price drop

This term, meaning literally “airforce,” is now used to describe people who insist that housing prices will drop. They have waited for years but finding prices keep rising to new highs. The word “air” in Chine se may also mean “empty” or “nothingness.”

城市依赖症(cheng3shi4 yi1lai4zheng4)

city addiction

This term refers to people who refuse to live outside cities because they are used to the colorful and convenient life. They would rather live in cities with no jobs than live in suburban areas with good opportunities.

后群体(hou4qun2ti3)

post-x generation

Now many people like to label “post-80” to those born in the 1980s and accuse them of being too indulgent in material pleasures. “Post-70” and “post-60” and post-whatever are also popular in daily conversation and media reports. But it’s hard to say that all people in one

generation have the same characteristics.

文化低保(wen2hua4 di1bao3)

cultural access initiative

This Chinese term combines the word “culture” a nd “minimum assurance” as from the minimum social security system to mean providing disadvantaged groups of people with the basic access to cultural activities. For instance, a county government promises each year to bring at least one art performance, six movies and one new book per person to villagers living in remote mountainous areas.

洋腐败(yang2 fu3bai4)

foreign corruption

This term refers to the practice of taking all kinds of bribes from foreign companies. With more and more overseas companies moving into this country, the crime continues to rise. Now, the state legislature has been urged to introduce laws to fight this fraud.

孔雀女(kong3que4nv3)

peacock woman

This term refers to women who grow up in a wealthy family in big cities and never worry about money. Their family takes good care of them and never lets them do any housework. However, when they fall in love with a “phoenix men,”which refers to a hard-working man from rural areas, they will have many conflicts because of their different habits and attitudes towards money.

秒杀(miao3sha1)

speed kill

The word is always used i n online games when the “boss” or opponent is so strong that he or she kills the player within seconds.

免费素食主义者(mian3fei4 su4shi2zhu3yi4zhe3) Freegan

This term, a portmanteau of “free” and “vegan,” refers to people who employ alternative strategies for living based on limited participation in the conventional economy and minimal consumption of resources.

October 22

Date:2007-10-22

疲劳驾驶(pi2lao2 jia4shi3)

drowsy driving

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration of the United States found that 37 percent of drivers admitted to falling asleep at the wheel at least once in their life.

赶场子(gan3chang3zi)

function venue hopping, whirlwind partying

As a spinoff of modern urban life, many people have to go to frequent parties and functions during their spare time and while officially on holiday.

婚庆公司(hun1qing4 gong1si1)

wedding services company

In recent years, businesses offering wedding services have cashed in on young couples pursuing an expensive marriage ceremony, but many of them are accused of lacking original ideas.

套牌车(tao4pai2che1)

fake plate vehicles

It has been a big headache for police to track down drivers who flee after a road accident or a crime as their plate is a duplicate of another legitimate car's.

雅贼(ya3zei2)

art thief, book thief

This term refers to thieves who only steal things with artistic values, such as books, pictures and other cultural relics.

亚偷情(ya4tou1qing2)

semi-affair

This term refers to married people who have a close opposite-sex friend and their relationship is a kind of "affair without intimacy." They enjoy the subtle feelings, but avoid betraying their families.

指付通(zhi3fu4tong1)

fingerprint payment terminal

This is a newly developed payment method in Shanghai

which allows shoppers to pay for their purchases by pressing fingerprints on a terminal. More than 1,000 retailers have adopted the terminals, which are attached to a bank's network.

食膏族(shi2gao1zu2)

tonic lovers

As the colder autumn months proceed, many Shanghai people like to take various herbal tonics, especially those made according to traditional Chinese medicine.

维他命电影(wei2ta1ming4dian4ying3)

vitamin movie

Audience will have some fun from such movies, which may even teach them some simple but useful tips or principles of life. But don’t expect these movies to shock audiences’ nerves by staging grand scenes. instead they leave audiences feeling relaxed and happy.

凑份子(cou4fen4zi0)

whip-round

Chinese people have the tradition of pooling funds or

collecting money from a group of people to pay for a public project or buy a joint present for someone.

弃车族(qi4che1zu2)

car-sparing clan

It is reported that many private car owners living near subway lines in Beijing have opted to use public transport for daily commutes, so saving their cars for longer trips.

金九银十(jin1jiu3yin2shi2)

peak sales season

The Chinese term literally means “Golden September” and “Silver October,” the two months that usually see brisk sales of cars, houses or other major consumer products in China.

打新族(da3xin1zu2)

new-stock investors

Due to the hefty profit potential, newly listed securities have become a hit choice for Chinese investors over the past few months.

巴嫂(ba1sao3)

re-employed woman bus conductor

Authorities in Guangdong Province have initiated a re-employment program to recruit women in their 50s who were earlier laid off by their employers to work as bus conductors. The Chinese word 巴(ba) means bus while 嫂(sao) is a term of endearment for a married woman.

凤凰男(feng4huang2nan2)

phoenix man

This term refers to men who grew up in remote rural areas but have moved to big cities thanks to their efforts and their family’s support. They hope to marry city girls but often encounter problems resulting from their different living habits and family backgrounds.

试离婚(shi4li2hun1)

trial divorce

Some young couples live separately to calm down when their marriage hits a rough patch. It is called “trial

divorce” which offers couples time to reconsider their marriage and avoid divorcing under impulse.

October 8

Date:2007-10-08

裸体PC (luo3ti3 PC)

naked PC

European think-tank the Globalization Institute has made a submission to the European Commission proposing that all PCs and laptops should be sold without an operating system to foster competition and bring down prices, saying the current practice "imposes an extra cost on virtually every EU business."

零电邮日(ling2dian4you2ri4)

zero e-mail Fridays

Some professionals are fighting back against overwhelming e-mails by declaring e-mail-free Fridays - or by deleting their entire in-box. About 150 engineers at chip maker Intel will kick off the campaign. E-mail isn't forbidden, but everyone is encouraged to phone or meet face-to-face. The goal is to foster more direct,

free-flowing communication and better exchange of ideas, Intel principal engineer Nathan Zeldes says in a company blog post.

鲶鱼效应(nian3yu2 xiao4ying4)

catfish effect

This term derives from the practice of a Norwegian fisherman who put catfish into his catch of sardine to keep the latter living longer for a better price. Now, the term means to introduce new competitors to stimulate the whole group. It complies with the modern operational mechanism of HR management.

刺青后悔症(ci4qing1 hou4hui3zheng4)

tattoo regret

This term refers to a feeling of remorse for having tattoos. According to a study in the United States, about 50 percent of respondents who have tattoos said they suffered from "tattoo regret." In other words, they wish they had opted against getting a tattoo.

网络达人(wang3luo4 da2ren2)

Net advisor

The term refers to warm-hearted people who give advice to others on the Internet. They cover all kinds of topics, ranging from marriage to home decoration. They are not necessarily professional consultants, but their personal experiences do help others.

社交网络服务(she4jiao1 wang3luo4 fu2wu4)

social networking service (SNS)

This is a kind of social software designed to set up online social networks connecting people of all different types of interests. For instance, Facebook is a popular social networking service.

富裕病(fu4yu4bing4)

affluenza

This is a portmanteau word by combining the two words "affluence" and "influenza." It refers to a special form of materialism in which people suffer from an epidemic of stress, overwork, waste and indebtedness as they pursue more goods.

搏上位(bo2shang4wei4)

strive for bigger success

It refers to an attempt to gain a higher position, bigger fame or success by resorting sometimes to unconventional or indecent means.

喝油车(he1you2che1）

Chelsea tractor

Those gas-guzzling sports utility vehicles are referred to in the United Kingdom as a Chelsea tractor. These urban behemoths have become a status symbol for the middle class in the Western world. The term is a rendering from the English buzzword.

穷人跑(qiong2ren2pao3)

cheap roadster

Some auto makers in China produce low-priced sports

cars for middle-income people. The price for such cars ranges from 100,000 yuan to 300,000 yuan, compared to those exceeding one million yuan targeting high-end income earners.

喝油车(he1you2che1）

Chelsea tractor

Those gas-guzzling sports utility vehicles are referred to in the United Kingdom as a Chelsea tractor. These urban behemoths have become a status symbol for the middle class in the Western world. The term is a rendering from the English buzzword.

穷人跑(qiong2ren2pao3)

cheap roadster

Some auto makers in China produce low-priced sports cars for middle-income people. The price for such cars

ranges from 100,000 yuan to 300,000 yuan, compared to those exceeding one million yuan targeting high-end income earners.

试药族(shi4yao4zu2)

drug-test subject

It is reported that a growing number of college students in the country have participated in the clinical trial of new medications to earn more money, some of whom do it to support their living.

陪拼族(pei2pin1zu2)

shopping companion

The flip side of love is that the boyfriend or husband of young women who are in the mood to shop has to keep her company all the way round, and might well drop before her shopping drags to a lengthy end.

高疯贝(gao1feng1bei4)

crazy games

The Chinese term sounds like 高分贝, which means "high decibel." It actually refers to highly exciting rides like roller coasters.

一口价(yi1kou3jia4)

no-bargain price

A seller who is sure of a deal whatsoever the price, or is unwilling to accept a bargain because the marked price is the seller's bottom line, will call it yikoujia in colloquial Chinese. Yikou indicates no room for bargaining.

知音体(zhi1yin1ti3)

“zhiyin” style

“zhiyin”(Confidant) refers to a well-known Chinese

tabloid magazine which always publishes sensational, agitating and moving love stories. Since many people are addicted to reading them, some authors or editors use a "zhiyin"style headline on some stories to attract more readers.

贵族乞丐(gui4zu2qi3gai4)

rich beggar

It refers to those professional beggars who reportedly are rich enough to own a car and keep a mistress.

痛快吧(tong4kuai4ba1)

pressure-venting shop

This term refers to shops where a customer pays for venting his or her tension, anger or frustration by violently punching or smashing goods.