Top 10 Internet Phrases In China In 2009

(cnnb.com.cn)  Top 10 Internet phrases in China In 2009.  December 30, 2009.

These 10 Internet phrases have everything to do with the lives of the Chinese people.  As you read and ponder the humor and absurdity behind each phrase, you will recognize that these are the most rational contemplation of reality in China today.

1. 不差钱:Money is not a problem

Origin: At the 2009 Spring Festival Gala, Zhao Benshan and Xiao Shenyang did the skit entitled <Money is not a problem>.  Overnight, Xiao Shenyang and many of the phrases became red-hot popular across China.

Reason for selection:  In recent years, Zhao Benshan's skits have never lacked quotable phrases.  With the addition of Xiao Shenyang this year, even more quotations have become classics.  After the Spring Festival, the conversations between restaurant service workers and customers often contain phrases such as "This is really not available," "It is possible to have this" and "Money is not a problem."

2. 哥抽的不是烟,是寂寞!What brother is smoking is not a cigarette, but loneliness!

Origin: In early July, someone posted a photo of a lower-class man eating a bowl of noodles under the title: "What brother is drinking is not noodles, but loneliness!"  There came an explosion of imitations along the line of "What brother is XXX is not XXX, but loneliness!" as in "What brother is using is not the Internet, but loneless!"  "What brother loves is not you, but loneliness!" ...

Reason for selection: This year, many people used the term "lonely individual" as their MSN/QQ signatures as if everything can be made to become "loneliness."  This reflects the need for people to seek solace today.  Loneliness is an affliction to which all of us are seeking a medicine to heal.

3. 贾君鹏你妈妈喊你回家吃饭!Jia Junpeng,your mother wants you to go home to have some food.。

Origin: Jia Junpeng is a fictional person on the Internet.  On July 16, 2009 at the World of Warcraft bar of the Baidu Post Bar, a content-free post titled <Jia Junpeng, your mother wants you to go home to have some food> drew 390,617 views and more than 17,000 comments in the space of several hours.  Over the next day, it drew 7,100,000 views and more than 300,000 comments.

Reason for selection: For a long time afterwards, the mildly sarcastic but also warm "XXX, your mother wants you to go home to have some food!" became a popular Internet phrase.  This also drew many in-depth analysis of the social significance of the phrase among the media and the citizens.

4. 人生就像茶几,上面摆满了杯具。Life is like a tea table,with bitter cups placed all over it。

Origin: In one episode of <Forum of One Hundred Schools of Thought>, Yi Zhongtian opened his eyes wide and said, "Tragedy!"  The photo of that expression was captured and posted onto the Internet for many people to use as their signature.  Actually, the full phrase itself came from a phrase by Eileen Chang: "Life is like a luxurious dress crawling with fleas."  In this case, "bitter cups" has the same sound as "tragedy."

After the "bitter cups" came up, netizens also created "dining set" (which sounds the same as "extreme tragedy"), "washing utensils" (which sounds the same as "comedy") and "tea cup" (which sounds the same as "separating distance").

Reason for selection: For netizens, "bitter cups" express helplessness even better than "tragedy."  By adding an extra touch of self-deprecating sarcasm, there is an additional element of hope on top of pure tragedy.

5.  不要迷恋哥,哥只是个传说。Don't be obsessed with brother,He is only a legend.。

Origin: This phrase came from MOP and is a joke around a netizen with the nickname "Don't be obsessed with brother."

Reason for selection: This was a narcissistic statement which adds a dose of diversion in a boring life.  How popular was it?  Even internationally renowned director Zhang Yimou's new favorite Xiao Shenyang is singing: "Don't be obsessed with me.  I am only a legend ..."

6.  人情债,我肉偿了!My debts of gratitude have been repaid with my body!

Origin: The television serial drama <Dwelling Narrowness> provided an incisive portrayal of white-collar workers and their longing for owning an apartment.  Although the drama is based in Shanghai, the daily struggles of the characters and the prices that they had to pay ring true for many urban white-collar workers.  The dialogue writen by scriptwriter Liu Liu has provided many MSN signature phrases.

Reason for selection: Apart from its relevance as a hot social issue, the dialogue was also humorous and wise, being close to real life.  Following the popular screening of <Dwelling Narrowness>, many phrases from the dialogue have also become popular.

7.  你有什么不开心的?说出来让大家开心一下。What makes you unhappy?Tell us to make us happy。

Origin: Life is hard and happiness is rare.  So you should take a lighter approach.  Is there anything that you are unhappy about?  Tell us so that we can all be happy.

Reason for selection: You lost your job and your romance is broken; your business has failed and you even failed to kill yourself; there are many undesirable things in life.  If everything works according to your wishes, what would God be needed for?  God says, "If you are all happy, who can I bless?"

The true point in life is to be loquacious.  Through your rambling talk, you can distract yourself as well as others from the sorrows.  So you should take your hand and put it her hers and say with tears in your eyes: "MacDull, I have finally discovered the true meaning of life ..."

8.  你out了!You are left behind the times.

Origin: Are you with the most popular microblog service?  Is the most popular microblogger Yao Chen or Wang Jianxiang?  You don't know?  Then you are totally out of it! ... In English, the word "Out" means "outside, outwards."  But now a new meaning has been added.  Innumerable fashionable young people use this word constantly only to show their contempt for those who are behind the times.

Reason for selection:  When the television or print media discuss the most popular words of 2009, many of them acknowledged that "Out" is popular while detesting it.  This term did not seem damaging at first, but it stings when it gets applied to your own self.

9. 雷锋做好事不留名,但把每一件事情都记到日记里。Lei Feng performs good deeds without seeking recognition, but he records everything in his diary。

Origin: When Lei Feng does good deeds, he does not leave his name behind.  But he records everything in his diary?  This was a hot forum discussion topic this year, with people providing all sorts of answers.

Reason for selection: "We take over Lei Feng's rifle, for Lei Feng is our good model; we take over Lei Feng's rifle, as millions of Lei Feng are growing up ..."  There are the words of a childhood song.  A netizen wrote: "Lei Feng performs good deeds without seeking recognition, but he records everything in his diary whereas I don't write diaries."

10.  这事儿不能说太细。This matter cannot be explained in detail.

Origin: On January 12, 2009, the CCTV program <Focus Interview> broadcast the episode <The broadly criticized "road toll">.  When asked "How much debt repayment does Tienjin city make each year for road construction loans?" the Tianjin city Civil Affairs Department Public Road Management Bureau Toll Rate Office deputy director Liu Bo replied, "This matter cannot be explained in detail."

Reason for selection: At Tianya Forum, MOP and other forums, many posts now contain comments of the form "You have explained this matter in too much detail, so you better be careful next time" "This matter cannot be explained in detail."  This is similar to the "I am just here to fetch soy sauce" and "I will leave as soon as I make a few push-ups" that were popular last year.  At Baidu, netizens have set up an explanation page for "This matter cannot be explained in detail" as well as a special "This matter cannot be explained in detail" forum.  Sohu also has Russian, Dutch, French, German and other foreign language translations of the phrase "This matter cannot be explained in detail."