These words and phrases will help you learn more about what is going on in China and what Chinese people are talking about. Left-Over Women 剩女 (shèngnǚ) Characters: 剩 (shèng) – to be left over 女(nǚ) – female Meaning: This word relates to the issue that Chinese girls don’t get married as young as they did before. But the preconceptions still hold. So, if they aren’t married by around the age of 28, people call them ‘the left-over girls’. This is a derogatory term for the girls who are usually very focused on their careers. Left-Behind Children – 留守儿童 (liúshǒu értóng) Characters: 留守 (Liúshǒu) – to stay behind to take care of things 儿童 (értóng) – children Meaning: This word relates to the issue that many poor village people migrate to the factory towns far away from home. When doing this, they leave their children behind with grandparents or even on their own. The problem is widely discussed in Chinese society, because there is sadly a high suicide rate amongst these so called “left behind” children. Naked Marriage – 裸婚 (luǒhūn) Characters: 裸 (Luǒ) – naked 婚 (hūn) – marriage Meaning: This is an interesting term because it originated from a girl who once said on social media that she would rather be crying in an expensive car than be happy on the back of a bike. What she meant by this is that she was more concerned about the financial part of her future marriage than the actual love part. Since then, the Chinese people have often discussed which one is more important. Some people go for a naked marriage, which means that the boy hadn’t yet bought an apartment or car – which are usually the requirements for marriage in China. The naked marriage is more about love and less about materialistic goods. Geek/Nerd/Gamer 宅男/宅女 (zháinán/zháinǚ) Characters: 宅 (Zhái) – house 男 (nán) – male 女 (nǚ) – female Meaning: China has turned into an internet-addicted society and there is Wi-Fi wherever you go. Chinese people are online most of the time and of course this comes with problems as well. Internet-addiction is a huge issue (if you search it online, you’ll find articles discussing how Chinese parents send their children to internet rehab camps – military style). The term 宅男／宅女 literally means a person who spends all day and night at home watching TV shows, playing video games etc. Singles Day – 光棍节 (guānggùn jié) Characters: 光棍 (Guānggùn) – bachelor/single (or literally, bare stick) 节 (jié) – Festival Meaning: In contemporary China it is all about finding the one and only, being in a relationship, getting married and being safe and sound for the rest of your life. Singles day is on the 11th of November every year because the date looks like four single people standing beside each other (11.11). This day has become the biggest shopping event of the year – the Chinese go crazy on Taobao and all the other shopping apps out there. There are a ton in China! In the West it’s some kind of equivalent to crying and eating chocolate on Valentine’s Day and Black Friday Sales. Eat Dirt – 吃土 (chī tǔ) Characters: 吃 (chī): to eat 土 (tǔ): dirt/soil This final offering comes directly from Singles Day and mainly at Chinese who spent their whole months/years wages on 11/11. After the biggest shopping day in the world is complete many Chinese are left with empty pockets and bank accounts. So, what are they left to eat? Nothing, they can’t afford it after all! This is where the phrase to 吃土 了 comes from. It’s to make light of those who spent all their money, and is all they can afford until the next payday, is to eat dirt! # Our teachers # More than 10 years teaching experience Master Degree Certificate for teaching chinese as a foreign language   # About us # Founded in 2007 Chinese test and training center 200+ Chinese teachers 5000+ students  # Contact us# Name:fiona Phone number:021-52287809,13918358891 E-mail:info@mandarinmorning.com www.mandarinmorning.com If you are interested to join Mandarin Morning school or want more details about our services, scan the following QR code. ☟   Mandarin Morning Chinese test center attached to Confucius institute headquarters Authorized Test Center and Training Center for International Chinese Language Teacher Certificater 10 years+ ，200 teachers ，more 10000 students，200+companies  |
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