--  作者：southernsky --  时间：2006-4-24 17:53:07 --   光棍儿节 Singles’ Day Every year at 11:11pm on November 11, fun-seeking male college students will have rowdy parties by screaming out their desire to find a girlfriend and use whatever is available to make big noises. The timing, consisting of eight Arabic number of 1, is deliberately selected to personify many single people. Can you envisage a Single Women’s Day? 非法集资 ponzi scheme Ponzi scheme, named after its early 20th century inventor Carlo Ponzi, is a form of fraudulent investment scam. In a recent case, a local woman allegedly defrauded more than 50 people, many of them friends and co-workers, out of 7.69 million yuan (US$949,400) involving the sale of pre-paid mobile cards. 短信诈骗分子 SMS scammer The Public Security Ministry recently disclosed a few shocking cases of criminals using cell-phone short message to cheat people out of money. Officials say now you can call police for help if you receive such fraudulent messages on your cell-phone. 连体婴儿 (lian2ti3 ying1’er2) conjoined twin babies Conjoined twins are rare, but it is even more rare that the parents of a pair of conjoined girls can’t be found. Doctors at Fudan University’s Children’s Hospital said last week that they could not plan an operation to separate the two sisters without the authorization of their parents. 八角茴香 star anise Star anise is a traditional Chinese herbal medicine or flavoring, which is also known as eight-cornered fennel. Recently there is a buying spree for star anise in some parts of China as media reported that it is an important ingredient of Roche’s Tamiflu, a medicine believed to be able to prevent bird flu. 素质教育 all-round education Many Chinese educators, parents and politicians have long been calling for a fundamental reform in the country’s education system in order to eradicate its numerous flaws rooted in traditional exam-oriented schooling. They say what the country needs is an all-round education system to help bring forth millions of young people with a well-balanced moral, intellectual and physical education, not just examination machines. 新新人类 new-new generation This is a term for a “novel generation” of youngsters who have novel ideals, are always ready to try out new fashions and new lifestyle, do whatever they see appropriate and are willing to be responsible for their unconventional action. 数独 sudoku or number place This is probably the most popular logic puzzle around the world today. The aim of the puzzle is to fill in each empty square of a grid of 81 cells so that the figures 1 to 9 appear just once in every row, column and individual 3*3 block. Though sudoku is a Japanese name, the puzzle’s true modern origin lies with a team of puzzle constructors in 1970’s New York. Check out the sudoku column on B-15 in Shanghai Daily. 无厘头 meaningless act The phrase derives from “moulaitou” in Cantonese, which was first used to describe a trend in Hong Kong pop culture started by actor Stephen Chow. His brand of slapstick comedy features exaggerated body language, trash talk and black humor. Now any absurd, meaningless and anomalous approach to express one’s opinions or feelings can be described as “wulitou.” 泡菜 kimchi A possible origin of kimchi or Korean spicy traditional pickled vegetables was in ancient China. Recently, however, China’s state food authorities have banned imports of kimchi from South Korea after finding parasite eggs in the imported side dish. 保质期 shelf life or best-before date Shanghai health authorities have employed a team of volunteer food inspectors to check whether food or medicines are sold after the expiry dates or for other quality problems as part of nationwide efforts to ensure safe food and drugs. 80后 80’s generation The word refers to those who were born in 1980s. They are considered to be a self-centered generation who care more about themselves compared with older generations. They are also more willing to try new things, heavily influenced by the Internet and more open to foreign cultures. 个人所得税起征点 threshold of personal taxable income China’s top legislature recently issued the new threshold for taxable income, 1,600 yuan(US$198) a month, which will be effective from next year. It doubles the previous threshold which was unchanged for more than decade. 复原乳 reconstituted milk The state standards administrative authority has recently told all dairy producers they must tell customers clearly whether the milk they sell is “reconstituted milk” or “pure fresh milk.” Earlier, press reports disclosed that many dairy producers sold the former under the name of the latter in order to cut costs. 交通拥挤费 congestion charge The city is planning to introduce a congestion charging scheme similar to the one imposed in central London to help cut traffic jams during rush hours. If enacted, the scheme will charge drivers when they enter a certain downtown area during a given period of time. 保鲜膜 cling film China’s health authority recently conducted a spot check on cling film wrapping after receiving reports that a chemical linked to cancer is in the widely used product. 禽流感 avian flu or bird flu The World Health Organization warned earlier this month that the economic impact from a flu pandemic would be enormous and urged countries to prepare for a possible outbreak like the 1918 one that killed 50 million people. 老赖 deadbeat The city recently sent 80 diehard defaulters to jail. They were all debtors who had the money but refused to pay court-ordered debts. Laolai is a derogatory term in Chinese. “海龟” “sea turtle” People have come to use this term to refer to people who have returned to work on the mainland after completing their education overseas. “Sea turtle” in Chinese is pronounced the same as the abbreviated phrase “returning from overseas.” “海带” “seaweed” The word, a follow-up to “sea turtle,” is used to refer to those Chinese youths who haven’t found a job in their home country after they study overseas. The Chinese character dai in the phrase sounds the same as another Chinese word meaning “wait.” as in waiting for a job.

--  作者：southernsky --  时间：2006-4-24 17:54:06 --   韩流 Hallyu or Korean fever Hallyu is a Korean word meaning the boom in Korean pop culture among Chinese, Japanese and Southeast Asians. It also sounds the same as the Chinese term “cold snap.” 另类 offbeat This term has become popular as people tend to use it to describe anyone or anything that ranges from avant-garde to unconventional or weird. 充电 recharge Borrowed from the common practice of recharging batteries, this expression is now often used figuratively to mean reeducation and vocational training. 红色旅游 Red Tour Backed by local governments, many travel agencies around the country have been organizing tours to sites related to the Chinese revolution in the last century, hence the new phrase. The venue of the first meeting of the Communist Party of China in Shanghai near Xintiandi, has become a major Red Tour attraction. 中国宇航员 taikonaut This is a hybrid word formed from the Chinese taikong, “space,” and Greek nautes, “sailor.” It distinguishes Chinese spacemen from the astronauts of the United States, cosmonauts of Russia and spationauts from French-speaking countires. 拼车 carpool While carpooling is encouraged in many big cities around the world to tackle rush hour traffic jams and reduce pollution, some Shanghai city government departments recently drew criticism for banning the practice because it disrupted the taxi service market. 灌水 flood-blogging When guanshui is used in the context of Internet, it does not mean “irrigation” as in its normal use. Some Web bloggers upload tons of nonsense or neither here nor there trivial in order to earn more online credits but only to be scorned by blog viewers for wasting their time and the server space. 第一桶金 the first bucket of gold Tons of articles have been published in the press discussing how people make their first fortune and use it to invest in their business. 人性化服务 people-oriented service The city’s service industry has been promoting a “people first” practice in order to provide more considerate and satisfactory services to clients. 郁闷 angry and frustrated This term is a favorite among young people these days and they frequently use it whenever they feel “pissed off.” 漂书 bookcrossing The practice of leaving a book in a public place to be picked up and read by others, who then do likewise, has appeared in some districts in the city. 医托 hospital scalper, hospital stoolie The city police crack down on scalpers selling registration numbers at major hospitals as well as touts who lure people from major hospitals to small, lesser-known and even unlicensed facilities. 啃老族 NEET It stands for Not in Employment, Education or Training. It refers to some young people who do not work but live off their parents.

--  作者：southernsky --  时间：2006-4-24 17:54:47 --   忽悠 sweet-talk, coax, wheedle This term has become a fad in daily talks of a great number of people around the town. 哈日一族 Otaku Translated from Japanese, an otaku is an overly obsessed fanboy or fangirl of Japanese animation and manga. Japanophile is a word sometimes used to describe an otaku. 秋老虎 Autumn Tiger This is a spell of hot weather that usually appears in late summer or early autumn, when the daily high hovers around 35 degrees Celsius. It’s not quite the same as the Indian Summer in North America or the Old Wives’ Summer in central Europe. 吊带衫 halter top, spaghetti strap top Some local men say it’s improper for women wearing halter tops or other skimpy dress to ride the crowded Metro. 海纳百川，追求卓越 keep an open mind, strive for excellence Many have used this phrase to describe the city spirit of Shanghai. The first part, haina baichuan, literally means “the sea takes in hundreds of rivers,” which indicates the Shanghai people’s all-embracing attitude towards the outside world. 保持共产党员先进性 keep the Party in the vanguard The Chinese Communist Party has launched an educational program to ensure its members retain good Party traditions and keep pace with the times in order to lead the nation to successfully build a well-off society. 自由行 self-guided tour This has become an increasingly popular form of travel with urban residents in China, especially among the young people. Having hotel and transport arranged by travel agencies and the itinerary totally controlled in their own hands, the travelers can enjoy the convenience of a package tour and the freedom of backpacking travel. 跑龙套 walk-on The term originally means a minor role in a theatrical production which usually has no speaking lines. But in daily conversations, it refers to anyone who only plays a bit role such as a utility man or a general handyman in any event, project or business. 有价无市 having a price but no sales This Chinese term actually describes a situation where a product has a fictitious or prohibitively high price but no sales. For instance, many apartments and houses in the city’s property market today are so expensive that few could afford or intend to buy them. The term is a little bit satirical. 明日黄花 déclassé The Chinese term literally means “tomorrow’s chrysanthemum.” It came from an ancient Chinese poem, in which the poet asked his guest to stay to appreciate the flower right then, because it would wither the next day. This term can be used to refer to people or things that have become out of fashion and of little value. 斩冲头 rip off a sucker This is a Shanghai slang, meaning to treat someone as a pushover or foolish spender in a deal or transaction. If you were persuaded to buy something of poor quality at a high price, you would be called chongtou (sucker) by Shanghainese. 种源农业 seed variety cultivation