



The national language resource monitoring and research center in China Central Normal University announced “The Top Ten Internet Memes” on the basis of word usage, popularity, creativity, and general acceptance.

1.中国大妈[zhōng guó dà mā]-Dama(Middle-aged women in China)



Dama is an internet term that created (or at least popularized) by the Wall Street Journal, to ridicule a group of middle-aged women in China who purchased a large amount of gold as the commodity’s price fell down from 1550 dollar per ounce to 1321 within 4 days this April. Dama literally means middle-aged woman in China but the term can be used just to refer any Chinese consumers who engaged in buying gold.

2.高端大气上档次[gāo duān dà qì shàng dàng cì]- Executive Distinguished VIP



The term was originally from 武林外传[wǔ lín wài zhuàn ]-(My Own Swordsman), refers to things that are executive and distinguished. Famous film director Feng xiaogang used this term on one of his movie called 甲方乙方[jiǎ fāng yǐ fāng ]-(The Dream Factory), well-known athlete Liu Xiang often using this term as well. The term is often used ironically, such as” Check out my 高端大气上档次iphone10, I made it myself using garbage!”

3.爸爸去哪儿[bà bà qù nǎ ér ]-Where are we going, daddy?



This phrase is a 12 episode reality show produced by Hunan television station about five famous male actors, singers, models who brought their own kids to explore rural areas of China. It went viral for displaying famous figures and their sentimental, authentic daddy love and all kinds of lovable-child cuteness.

4.小伙伴们都惊呆了[xiǎo huǒ bàn men dōu jīng dāi le ]-My little good buddies and I are stunned



This expression means one is stupefied or rendered speechless by something unexpected. It went viral after being used by an elementary school student in an essay to describe his little buddies’ reactions to a “rumored” origin of Dragon Boat Festival featuring Qu Yuan. The original text was, “After we heard that Qu Yuan jumped into river by defending Mao and the communist party, my little good buddies and I are stunned.”( Qu yuan is a poet who lived in the Chu dynasty.)

5.待我长发及腰[dài wǒ zhǎng fā jí yāo ]-When my hair climbs down to my waist.



The whole phrase is “would you marry me when my hair climbs down to my waist?”(待我长发及腰，少年娶我可好[shǎo nián qǔ wǒ kě hǎo ]) It gained popularity from the above picture of a Chinese couple studying in Cambridge. The phrase was originally from a book named十里红妆女儿梦 written by Xiao Dao. We can see from the photo that this couple went through naïve love to a mature relationship, as the girl’s hair grew longer. The explanation is “if you are willing to accompany me until my hair climbs down to my waist, I’m willing to grow old(er) with you.”

6.喜大普奔[xǐ dà pǔ bēn]-abbreviation for four Chinese idioms 喜闻乐见、大快人心、普天同庆、奔走相告



Created by netazins, it is not a traditional Chinese idiom. It means the news is so exhilarating that everyone is celebrating and spreading it to the rest of the world.

7.女汉子[nǚ hàn zǐ]-Manly Woman



Women who look feminine on the outside but are ‘men’ on the inside.” These women are characterized by not being particular about manners and are independent, optimistic and brutally honest. They also hate wearing skirts, doing their make-up or shopping with ‘girlfriends”. Their “aura” is relatively stronger and thereby are more likely to influence others.

8.土豪-[tǔ háo]- local tyrant



Historically referring to locally powerful landowners in Mao-speak, tuhao is now used to describe the newly-released gold-colored Apple iPhone 5S owners and their asshole friends. “土豪金” (golden local tyrant”) generally refers to the ostentatious wealthy with connotations that they lack class and refined tastes but are domineering, crass and eager to stand out. Netizens released typical symblos of 土豪 such as using transportation from living room to bedroom, getting a tiger as a pet, having at least five foster daughters, and carrying at least five golden decorations and so on.

9.摊上大事了[ tān shàng dà shì le ]Stall major events



This phrase comes from a skit during the Spring Festival Gala, it went viral for its allusions to corruption that are regarded as a taboo in China.

10.涨姿势[ zhǎng zī shì]- 长知识[ zhǎng zī shì] Enrich knowledge



Homophonic for 长知识, which means to enrich knowledge, this phrase is mostly used as a casual joke. 涨 means to go up or rise, and 姿势 means “position” in Chinese. There was a time when erotic pictures overflowed through the internet, netizens call the trend 涨姿势, meaning that they were surprised by the unusual pictures and enriched their knowledge, to 长知识.

By Isabel Quan





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