CHINESE HOT WORDS LEARNING

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暴发户

暴发户：There are many ways in which a person can all of a sudden become very

rich. When people get rich, their spending behaviors may very likely also change from

their previous habits. Even though this type of person is now rich, they still lack culture

and necessary societal habits, and for this reason this character refers to people who are

rich but do not have manners or behave in a civilized way. “Instant millionaires” is more

of a designation and does not refer to any certain level of money.

e.g

That man wearing the very thick gold necklace is a new instant-millionare.

脖子上戴着大金链子的人经常是暴发户。

(Bózi shàng dàizhe dà jīn liànzi de rén jīng cháng shì bàofā hù)

吃白饭

吃白饭： to eat without paying, or living off others.

e.g

He is just a freeloader.

他就是个吃白饭的人。

(tā jiù shì gè chī bái fàn de rén )

点赞

“点赞” is the act of someone receiving approval or admiration

for a certain statement or picture postings. “like”，praise.

e.g

Will you "like" DigMandarin?

你会为DigMandarin点赞吗？

(nǐ huì wèi DigMandarin diǎn zàn ma )

耳濡目染

耳濡目染 means “ to be unconsciously influenced by what one

constantly hears or sees”.

e.g

Being influenced by his father, he developed passion for music.

在父亲的耳濡目染下，他热爱音乐。

(zài fù qīn de ěr rú mù rǎn xià ， tā rè ài yīn yuè）

高手在民间

高手在民间 means “the master stays unrevealed among the common

people”, suggesting that the true masters of a talent or skill are often

hidden amongst the ordinary masses, not drawing attention to themselves

or otherwise broadcasting their impressive abilities.

e.g His kung fu is so great. The master stays unrevealed among the

common people.

他的功夫那么棒。真是高手在民间啊！

(tā de gōng fu nà me bàng. zhēn shì gāo shǒu zài mín jiān a)

极品

we use “极品(jípǐn)” to mean the highest grade for objects. If

something that is rare and precious and has reached a point where nothing

of the same kind is better than it, we can say it is a “极品(jípǐn).” It can

be both a noun and an adjective.

e.g

China’s West Lake Longjing Tea is a masterpiece.

中国的西湖龙井茶是极品。

(zhōng guó de xī hú lóng jǐng chá shì jí pǐn )

加油

加：to add, plus；油：oil, petrol

加油 is used as common cheer, like “come on” or “lets go”. It’s a term

often heard at sporting events as crowds support their teams.

However, this word can also be translated as “keep strong” or “persevere”,

in this case it is used to motivate people through difficult or tragic times.

e.g Come on, Chinese learners!

加油，汉语学习者！

(jiā yóu, hàn yǔ xué xí zhě)

靠山

靠山， Backer. In Chinese culture, towering mountains are a symbol

of power, and staying in close proximity to mountains allows one to be

protected. “靠山” means a power that can be relied upon.

e.g

Don’t be silly, there is no way he could be your backer.

他不可能成为你的靠山，不要抱有幻想了。

(Tā bù kěnéng chéngwéi nǐ de kàoshān, bú yào bào yǒu huànxiǎng le.)

矛盾

矛 means spear, lance, 盾 means shield. Put a spear and a shield

together and you will get “contradiction”. An all time classic and a great

way to show what a contradiction is.

e.g: The contradictions are sharpening.

矛盾正在加剧。

(máo dùn zhèng zài jiā jù)

千真万确

Chinese Words Learning

千真万确 means “ absolutely true” "as sure as fate".

e.g

I know it is true from you.

从你身上，我知道这是千真万确的。

cóng nǐ shēn shàng ，wǒ zhī dào zhè shì qiān zhēn wàn què de .

秋老虎

Old wives' summer; Indian summer

Even after the season changes to autumn, sometimes the temperature can

still be very high. The heat between August and September will usually

last for about half the month, and the weather is called "秋老虎."

e.g

Summer is over, but we still to worry about heatstroke.

秋老虎来了，还得继续防暑降温。

(qiū lǎo hǔ lái le ,hái dĕi jì xù fáng shǔ jiàng wēn.)

饶了我吧

饶了我吧 means "give me a break".

e.g Time is up. Please give me a break!

时间到了。求你饶了我吧！

(shí jiān dào le. qiú nǐ ráo le wǒ ba!)

人无远虑，必有近忧

A man without distant care will have nearby sorrow

"人无远虑，必有近忧" means a person will have troubles in the present if he

does not have a long-term plan. It is usually used to advise people to have a long-

term plan and consider thoughtfully the future so as to avoid sorrow and despair in

the short-term.

e.g

A man without distant care will have nearby sorrow. In that case, you will certainly

encounter troubles.

人无远虑，必有近忧，那样你肯定会遇到麻烦的。

(rén wú yuǎnlǜ，bì yǒu jìnyōu. Nàyàng nǐ kěndìng huì yùdào máfan de.)

扫兴

扫兴 means way to kill the mood, have one's spirits dampened.

e.g

He is a wet blanket.

他是一个令人扫兴的人。

(tā shì yí gè lìng rén sǎo xìng de rén )

师傅

师傅 means master / sir. In the past , “师傅” was a common name for a

teacher, monk, or nun, and then it also went on to refer to people who are skilled at

a handicraft. Now the word is often used as a title for a common person. When

meeting somebody for the first time, you might have no idea of how to refer to the

person, so this word can be used.

e.g

Sir, please stop here.

师傅，麻烦您在这里停一下儿。

(Shīfu, máfan nín zài zhèlǐ tíng yíxiàr.)

说曹操，曹操到

说曹操，曹操到 means "speak of the devil", "talk of the devil

and he comes".

e.g Speak of the devil. We were just talking about you.

说曹操，曹操到。我们刚才正谈到你呢。

(shuō cáo cāo, cáo cāo dào. wǒ men gāng cái zhèng tán dào nǐ ne.)

玩火

玩火 literally means Play with fire. It describes even knowing

something can be dangerous we still continue to do it.

e.g

It is just like playing with fire.

这种做法无异于玩火。

(Zhè zhǒng zuòfǎ wú yì yú wán huǒ.)

我了个去

我了个去 is like Holy Crap. It's a phrase used to suggest that

something is unbelievable or shocking.

e.g Holy Crap! What the hell is going on?

我了个去！这是怎么回事？

wǒ le gè qù! zhè shì zěn me huí shì?

小吃

小吃 literally means “small eat”. Actually it’s something about halfway between

a snack and a meal. Examples include smaller bowls of noodles, plates of

dumplings, or anything else usually sold on the street that’s too big to be a snack.

e.g

Stick to a simple piece of fruit or some nuts and water if you need a snack.

如果你需要吃点小吃，坚持一个小水果或者一些坚果类和水就行了。

(rú guǒ nǐ xū yào chī diǎn xiǎo chī ，jiān chí yī gè xiǎo shuǐ guǒ huò zhě yī xiē jiān

guǒ lèi hé shuǐ jiù xíng le )

压箱底

压箱底 indicates something very valuable. In the past, when a girl got

married, the mom of the young lady would give their child special gifts or

a secret stash of money, and for this reason, “压箱底” means something

that is very precious and not to be used except for emergencies.

e.g

This qipao is my grandma’s favorite dress, and now it is yours.

这件旗袍是奶奶压箱底的物件，现在归你了。

(Zhè jiàn qípáo shì nǎinai yā xiāngdǐ de wùjiàn, xiànzài guī nǐ le.)

英雄所见略同

英雄所见略同 means "great minds think alike" "heroes have

similar views" in English.

e.g We are all learning Chinese. Great minds think alike!

我们都在学习汉语。英雄所见略同啊！

(wǒ men dōu zài xué xí hàn yǔ. yīng xióng suǒ jiàn luè tóng a)

长话短说

长话短说 means make a long story short, make short of long.

e.g To make it short, I want to marry you.

长话短说，我想和你结婚。

(cháng huà duǎn shuō, wǒ xiǎng hé nǐ jiē hūn)

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