An op-ed published in Southern Metropolis Daily yesterday listed a number of Chinese words whose pinyin became more commonly used in the English-speaking world in 2013. Although Julie Kleeman, chief editor of the Oxford Chinese Dictionary, said in November that it takes time for Chinese words to be accepted by British people and become English glossary, the author of the op-ed claims to have done research suggesting that the below words are becoming more commonly used in English-language media.
Shengnv (剩女－”leftover woman”)： The author attributes the increasing awareness in the outside world of China’s phenomenon of “leftover women” to Beijing-based author Roseann Lake and in particular an article she wrote for Foreign Policy in 2012. Subsequently, Lake, together with co-authors Lee and Myers, created cartoon superhero ‘Chaoji Shengnü’ (Super Single Lady), who helps out single men and ladies in need.
One of the underlying forces behind the phenomenon is high house prices. Some men who can’t afford a property do not dare to ask out women who are more successful than themselves, creating a class of educated, successful women who have to live with the stigma of being a leftover woman.
Tuhao (土豪-“uncouth wealthy”): The author concedes that this Chinese word is unlikely to replace the French “nouveau riche” in being commonly used by English-speaking people. But he cites the increasing use of the pinyin among China hands and translators to describe the phenomenon in Chinese society of people from the Chinese countryside getting rich without becoming more urbane.
Dama (大妈-lit. “big mother”): Last year China’s middle-aged women were at the centre of a number of news stories, such as their rush to buy gold amid falling prices and the controversy around them dancing in public squares.
Wall Street Journal used “dama” in a report in August to reflect the gold market’s reaction to the new target demographic.
The author points to the word’s phonetic closeness to the English word “dame” which is traditionally the female form of the respectful word “knight.” However, the op-ed points to the character of the wife in Washington Owen’s 19th century novel “Rip Van Winkle” who is called “dame” despite lacking elegance and grace. The author argues that a better way of describing this type of middle-aged woman would be “dama.”
Gaokao (高考－college entrance examination): An increasing number of people are using the term gaokao instead of the standard translation of “College Entrance Exam,” according to the author. For example, both the Chronicle of Higher Education and the Huffington Post have adopted the term as the world becomes more familiar with China’s higher education system.
Weibo (微博－microblog)： An increasing number of foreign news organisations are using Chinese microblogging platforms both to increase their audience and research their stories. Whereas “Weixin” can easily be translated as “WeChat,” publications have no easy way of translating “weibo” so have usually gone with describing it as a “Twitter-like microblog.”
But the author has observed an increasing use of “official weibo” or simply “weibo” in English-language publications.
So, can you use these words in English conversations without feeling self-conscious?