MCLC: getting naked

Denton, Kirk denton.2 at osu.edu
Sat Dec 3 11:11:01 EST 2011


MCLC LIST
From: kirk (denton.2 at osu.edu)
Subject: getting naked
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Source: China Daily (12/2/11):
http://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/weekly/2011-12/02/content_14199946.htm

Getting 'naked'
By Hu Yijun (胡逸君) (China Daily)

There are an increasing number of interesting Chinese words with the
character "裸". Why is everyone in China getting naked?

越来越多的词汇与 "裸" 相关。难道中国人都是裸着的吗?

Have you heard a lot about "naked" (裸 luǒ) things recently? From "裸考
(luǒkǎo)" to "裸婚 (luǒhūn)" and "裸捐 (luǒjuān)" to "裸辞 (luǒcí)", it
seems 
like almost everything is getting "naked". Is that because Chinese people
have become very open about sex? Of course not! In most cases, "naked" is
figurative, not literal.

The character 裸 first came to our view with the word 裸奔 (luǒbēn),
streaking, in the reports about sports celebrations. Then, as modern life
makes people feel a serious lack of things, many found it suitable to use
this vivid character to describe their situations.

In this article, we are going to introduce some fashionable words with 裸
and help you get your Chinese "naked".

Is "裸考" (luǒkǎo) a new way to prevent cheating on exams by forcing the
students to be naked? Actually no. "裸考" refers to two kinds of students:
those who have to take exams without any bonus points (students who have
won in academic competitions or are minorities will be awarded bonus
points added to their scores), and there are those students who haven't
prepared enough for the exam either by doing the homework or by studying.

So these are two commonly heard quotes:

I'm really unlucky because I have no extra marks for my exam.
Wǒ kě dǎoméi le, wǒ shì luǒkǎo a。
我可倒霉了,我是裸考啊。

I haven't studied at all; I just come to buy some soy sauce.
Wǒ luǒ kǎo, jiùshì lái dǎ jiàngyóu de。
我裸考,就是来打酱油的。

"裸婚" (luǒhūn) is related to another hot topic - marriage. Many 剩男
(shèngnán, left-over single boys) and 剩女 (shèngnǚ, left-over single girls)
are eager to marry, but the large amount of money required for wedding
ceremonies, for houses, for cars, and even for rings scares them from
entering marriage.

As a result, "裸婚" came into being to indicate the couples who marry
without purchasing houses, cars, or holding wedding ceremonies; some even
don't bother buying rings for each other! People who choose to have "裸婚"
need only 9 yuan ($1.4, 1 euro) - the cost of an official marriage license.

"裸捐" (luǒjuān) refers to all-out donation which started from the example
of Bill Gates and his Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Many Chinese
entrepreneurs want to follow in his footsteps and donate all the things
they have earned when they pass away. The most famous Chinese
philanthropist Chen Guangbiao once promised:

I will donate all my wealth, instead of half of it, when I leave this
world.
在我离开这个世界的时候,将不是捐出一半财富,而是向慈善机构捐出自己的全部财产。
Zài wǒ líkāi zhège shìjiè de shíhou, jiāng búshi juān chū yíbàn cáifù,
érshì xiàng císhàn jīgòu juān chū zìjǐ de quánbù cáichǎn。

This saying brought "裸捐" to its peak for a while.

"裸辞" (luǒcí) is latest word that can be applied to people who quit their
job without having found the next job. "裸辞" is becoming a fashionable
phenomenon among white-collar workers. Whenever they feel tired and
dissatisfied with their current job, they just hand in their resignation
and leave, thinking no more about their future.

Courtesy of The World of Chinese, www.theworldofchinese.com




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