MCLC: hottest English words related to China

[Denton, Kirk]

MCLC LIST
From: Han Meng <hanmeng at gmail.com>
Subject: hottest English words related to China
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Go directly to the url below for links, images, and mouse-over
translations.

Han Meng

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Source: China Smack (11/26/12):
http://www.chinasmack.com/2012/more/jokes-humor/the-hottest-english-words-r
elated-to-china-on-twitter.html

This list of “terms” have appeared before in various forms, although
the actual usage and “popularity” for many of the “English” terms are
highly questionable. The original Chinese words or phrases are–or have
been–legitimate notable terms and Chinese internet memes, but the
English words are attempts to use English wordplay to capture or
communicate some amusing angle about them.

It is safe to say these are definitely not the hottest English terms
related to China on Twitter, but the list gets attention from Chinese
netizens every so often for its overall theme of being self-critical
of situations and phenomenon found in present-day China and Chinese
society.

Below is the list with some explanations of the English wordplay, the
original Chinese term the English wordplay is based on, or some
context for the term:

Freedamn: Freedom with Chinese characteristics.

Smilence: “Smiles” but keeps one’s “silence”, indicating a sort of
awkward, mocking, or even dismissive reaction to something. It may
also be used by “knowing” Chinese netizens to suggest they know the
truth but will refrain from saying anything further, either out of
such things as self-preservation, pity, or even disinterest depending
on context.

Togayther: The original Chinese is an idiom to suggest that love will
always find a way, but the English wordplay specifically refers to an
attitude of tolerance for homosexuality.

Democrazy: “Wishful thinking” regarding democracy.

Shitizen: A self-depreciating name for Chinese citizens invented by
Chinese netizens, which chinaSMACK translates as “rabble“.

Innernet: China’s Internet, referring to Chinese netizens having
restricted or unreliable access to foreign websites, thereby promoting
Chinese internet users to stick with domestic online sites and
services that the government ultimately has control over.

Departyment: The relevant (government) departments. Refers to the
ambiguous way the government, authorities, and media often refer to
government response and action in issues of interest.

Chinsumer: Chinese people who go on wild extravagant shopping sprees
when abroad.

Emotionormal: Emotional stability, a phrase used by the mainstream
media to describe the victims and their family’s reaction to the
Wenzhou high-speed train crash in 2011. Netizens were aggravated
because this term apparently did not reflect reality and was more
motivated by what the government wanted of the people.

Sexretary: A female secretary involved in an illicit or inappropriate
relationship with her boss.

Halfyuan: The 50 Cent Party.

Canclensor: Broadly refers to internet censorship and those hired to
conduct internet censorship in China. [Note: There is probably a
typo—it should be "Cancelsor".]

Wall.e: A cute name for China’s “firewall“.

Circusee:  Refers to the phenomenon of bystanders gathering around to
look on at a commotion, often without getting involved, or the notion
that “the people are watching”. The English term itself is a
combination of “encircling” and “seeing”, the literal translations of
each character in the Chinese term.

Vegeteal: Refers to stealing vegetables, an activity in Happy Farm, a
once highly popular casual online social network game in Mainland
China and Taiwan (with analogues around the world), where the players
can steal each other’s farm products.

Yakshit: This English word is based on 亚克西 [yǎ kè xī], the Chinese
transliteration of the Uyghur term “yaxshi” (Uyghur: ياخشى‎), which
means “good” or “great”. The term 亚克西 was made famous by the Xinjiang
musical dance program “Happy Life Yaxshi” (formerly “The Party’s
Policy Yaxshi”) in the 2010 CCTV Spring Festival’s Gala. Later,
“Yaxshi” was often used by netizens to make satiric judgments against
the Party and its propaganda.

Animale: Male instincts or innate behavior/mentality.

Corpspend: The fee for dredging up and recovering dead bodies from a
river. The term was first made famous in 2009 when the fishing boat
bosses in the Changjiang (Yangtze) River refused to save drowning
students near them until the school leaders came to the scene two
hours later and offered to pay the 12,000-per-body recovery fee.

Suihide: Refers to the game of hide and seek that Yunnan police claim
led to the the death of a prisoner in their custody.

Niubility: The ability to be niubi

Antizen: The “ant tribe”, a term used to describe the demographic of
low-income college graduates who settle for a poverty-level existence
in the cities of China. Those who belong to the ant tribe class hope
that, in time, they will find the jobs for which they were trained for
in college.

Gunvernment: Refers to Mao Zedong’s quote, “All political power from
the barrel of a gun”, sarcastically used today with regards to the
authoritarian regime maintained through military control.

Propoorty: Refers to the real estate industry and the systematic
poverty of various demographics in China in relation to property
rights, transactions, and development.

Stuck Market: China’s stock market, its performance, and the position
of its investors.

Livelihard: A play on “livelihood”, suggesting that life in China is
“hard”.

Stupig: Stupid + pig.

Z-turn: An English transliteration of the Chinese term 折腾 [zhē teng],
which literally means “to toss about” or “to turn from side to side”,
and figuratively refers to doing things that are unnecessary or making
a fuss without accomplishing anything, as if taking a zigzag route.

Gambller: Part transliteration and part suggestive pun on the Chinese
term 干部 [gàn bù] “cadre“.

Don’train: Another part transliteration and part suggestive pun of the
Chinese term 动车 [dòng chē], China’s high-speed trains. It is related
to the Wenzhou high-speed train crash in 2011, suggesting that China’s
trains are failures, dangerous, not recommended.

Foulsball: A combination of “football” and “fouls”, reflecting Chinese
netizens football fans’ dissatisfaction with China’s men’s football
team in their lack of competitiveness and the persistent problems that
plague their sport and league.

Goveruption: Refers to the corruption that plagues China’s government.

Harmany: The Chinese terms refers to “river crab“, itself a pun on the
Chinese term for “harmony” or “harmoniousness”, a government buzzword
reflecting its policy of maintaining and fostering social stability.
The pun alludes to internet censorship of news and information
believed to jeopardize social “harmony”, resulting in a state of
disguised harmony (maintained through censorship). “Harmany” itself is
clearly a combination of “harm” + “many”, suggesting that the policy
of “harmony” simply “harms” “many” people.

Profartssor: Professors of questionable or dubious character.