MCLC: new chengyu

[Denton, Kirk]

MCLC LIST
From: kirk (denton.2 at osu.edu)
Subject: new chengyu
***********************************************************

Source: Sinosphere Blog, NYT (10/27/13):
http://sinosphere.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/10/27/better-than-a-tweet-using-fo
ur-characters-young-chinese-create-internet-idioms-with-a-new-world-of-mean
ing/

Better Than a Tweet? In Four Characters, a New World of Meaning
By AMY QIN 

There is a Chinese idiom that might be used to describe the place of
idioms in Chinese literary tradition: jianding buyi (坚定不移), meaning
“firm 
and unchanging.” The use of such expressions, especially the classical set
phrases known as chengyu (成语), has long been seen as a mark of erudition
in China. Most chengyu consist of only four characters, but they don’t
follow the grammar and syntax of modern Chinese, and as many frustrated
Mandarin students can tell you, they are often indecipherable without some
knowledge of their origins, often in ancient Chinese literature that
preceded the birth of Christ.

Some of the most popular Chinese idioms in use today, though, are of a
more modern provenance, having been forged in what is currently the
hottest space for linguistic innovation in China — the Internet. These
sayings retain the four-character format of the classic idioms but are
distinguished by their ironic, contemporary and sometimes political
themes. Popular among Chinese youth, the new idioms may not be considered
highbrow, but they offer a window into the humor, culture and concerns of
China’s millennial generation.

Among the many new Internet idioms now trending, xi da pu ben (喜大普奔) is
a 
favorite, conveying exaggerated enthusiasm and excitement, with a dose of
political irony. The phrase is an amalgamation of four expressions
commonly used — perhaps overused — in Communist Party language, often to
describe public satisfaction with the party’s policies:

* xi wen le jian (喜闻乐见), meaning “a delight to see and hear,”
* da kuai ren xin (大快人心), meaning “to the satisfaction of everyone,”
* pu tian tong qing (普天同庆), meaning “universal rejoicing,” and
* ben zou xiang gao (奔走相告), meaning “running around and telling
everyone.”

None of these phrases would seem out of place on a Mao-era propaganda
poster. Take the first character of each, string them together in a
Chinese-style acronym, and the enthusiasm expressed is magnified to a
farcical degree. The result is a hyperbolic idiom that might be translated
as “news so exhilarating that everyone is celebrating and spreading it
around the world.”

Now, even the smallest cause for celebration is being touted on the
Internet as xi da pu ben. The announcement that train tickets were going
to be available for purchase through the e-commerce site Taobao, for
example, was immediately hailed as xi da pu ben. So was news that a
history museum in Xi’an was offering free admission for two days. The
phrase has even crept into traditional media, with the Southern Weekend
newspaper publishing anarticle <http://www.infzm.com/content/95146>
earlier this month about visa-free travel between China and Phuket,
Thailand, under the headline, “Visas Not Required for Ordinary Passports:
‘Xi Da Pu Ben.’ ”

Another new expression resonating online is ren jian bu chai (人艰不拆),
which 
is essentially equivalent to the American idiom “to cut someone some
slack.” The phrase reflects the pessimism and dissatisfaction with life
felt by many young Chinese today, and is derived from the lyrics of the
Mandarin pop ballad “Fairy Tale,” released by the Taiwanese singer Yoga
Lin in 2009. The original 17-character line in the song — “Some lies are
better not exposed, as life is already so hard” — was boiled into four
characters to resemble a chengyu, and the condensed version has taken on a
new life on the web.

The new idiom can be deployed in jest, as when a microblogger used it in
response to a study reporting that the thicker a person’s belly, the more
prone he or she may be to dementia: “Oh, ren jian bu chai!” (“Oh, cut me
some slack!”)

But it can also be used in sympathy. After a young man in Beijing was
sentenced in August to 10 years in prison for trying to rob a bank with a
watermelon knife, reportedly so he could make a down payment on a marital
home, one newspaper published a commentary
<http://news.xinhuanet.com/finance/2013-08/09/c_125144440.htm> titled, “
‘Ren Jian Bu Chai’: How the Middle Class Went From White Collar to Loser.”
(There is deep frustration with soaring housing prices among many young
Chinese, especiallybachelors under pressure
<http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/15/world/asia/15bachelors.html> to buy an
apartment to improve their prospects for marriage.)

Usage of such Internet idioms
<http://www.douban.com/group/topic/44657725/> has generally been confined
to the virtual realm of online youth, but there are signs that these
imaginative expressions are beginning to enjoy some popularity offline as
well.

Earlier this fall, Peking University unveiled a set of four traditional
calligraphy paintings in a newly renovated classroom building. But instead
of classical idioms, each canvas displayed a popular phrase taken from
modern Chinese Internet lingo, including xi da pu ben and tu yang tu senpo
(图样图森破), a mocking, phonetic reference to an outburst
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m43UyujVsXk> by former President Jiang
Zemin during which he used English to accuse Hong Kong reporters of being
“too young” and “too simple.”

According to the Beijing Evening News
<http://edu.gmw.cn/2013-09/05/content_8811837.htm>, the calligraphy caused
a stir and was soon taken down. “They were probably scared that
journalists would start coming,” a building management employee told the
newspaper, referring to no one in particular. “It was probably too
sensitive.”