Tag: Slang

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xiǎnyǎn bāo

xiǎnyǎn bāo ((xiǎn·yǎn {appears; shows; displays; manifests; {[is] obvious; evident; clear; apparent; noticeable} (to)} · eye → [conspicuous; showy; eye-catching; glamorous] 显眼 顯/顕眼) (bāo wrapping → [bun (food)] 包) → [attention-seeker; goofball; one who stands out from the crowd to get attention]) ← Tap/click to show/hide the “flashcard”

With 2023 having just recently receded into history, it’s a good time to check out collections of some of the top Mandarin slang expressions used during 2023. A couple of articles that I found that discuss some of these expressions are:

The only expression that appears on both of these lists is “xiǎnyǎn bāo ((xiǎn·yǎn {appears; shows; displays; manifests; {[is] obvious; evident; clear; apparent; noticeable} (to)} · eye → [conspicuous; showy; eye-catching; glamorous] 显眼 顯/顕眼) (bāo wrapping → [bun (food)] 包) → [attention-seeker; goofball; one who stands out from the crowd to get attention])”, this week’s MEotW.

Its Constituent Morphemes

The first morpheme in this expression is “xiǎn (appear; show; display; manifest; {[is] obvious; evident; clear; apparent; noticeable [→ [[is] illustrious; powerful; influential]} 显 顯/顕)”, which here means “appears; shows; displays; manifests; [is] obvious/evident/clear/apparent/noticeable (to)”. Some other expressions that include this morpheme are:

  • míngxiǎn (míng·xiǎn {[is] clear; distinct} · {[is] obvious; evident; clear; apparent; noticeable} → [[is] clear; obvious; evident; distinct; manifest] 明显 明顯)
  • xiǎnrán (xiǎn·rán {[is] evident; obvious; clear}·ly 显然 顯然)
  • xiǎnshì (xiǎn·shì {to be evident/obvious} · show 显示 顯示)

When “xiǎn (appear; show; display; manifest; {[is] obvious; evident; clear; apparent; noticeable [→ [[is] illustrious; powerful; influential]} 显 顯/顕)” is put together with “yǎn (eye 眼)”, which means “eye”, the resulting expression “xiǎnyǎn (xiǎn·yǎn {appears; shows; displays; manifests; {[is] obvious; evident; clear; apparent; noticeable} (to)} · eye → [conspicuous; showy; eye-catching; glamorous] 显眼 顯/顕眼)” effectively means “conspicuous; showy; eye-catching; glamorous”.

The last morpheme of this expression, “bāo (wrapping [→ [including; containing | assuring; guaranteeing | bundle; package; pack; packet; parcel | bag; sack | bun (food)]] 包)”, literally means “to wrap”, but one of its effective meanings is “bun”, that is, a bun that’s food, as opposed to, say, a hair bun. Some other expressions that include this morpheme are:

  • bāokuò (bāo·kuò wrap · {draw together} → [include; consist of; comprise; incorporate] 包括)
  • miànbāo (miàn·bāo {[wheat] flour} · {wrapping [→ [bun]]} → [bread] 面包 麵包)
  • bāozi (bāo·zi {wrapping → [bun]} · [suf for nouns] → [steamed stuffed bun] 包子)

It’s evident that “bāo (wrapping [→ [including; containing | assuring; guaranteeing | bundle; package; pack; packet; parcel | bag; sack | bun (food)]] 包)”, with its meaning of “bun”, is used as a term of endearment in “xiǎnyǎn bāo ((xiǎn·yǎn {appears; shows; displays; manifests; {[is] obvious; evident; clear; apparent; noticeable} (to)} · eye → [conspicuous; showy; eye-catching; glamorous] 显眼 顯/顕眼) (bāo wrapping → [bun (food)] 包) → [attention-seeker; goofball; one who stands out from the crowd to get attention])”.

As a Whole

What are the constituent morphemes of “xiǎnyǎn bāo ((xiǎn·yǎn {appears; shows; displays; manifests; {[is] obvious; evident; clear; apparent; noticeable} (to)} · eye → [conspicuous; showy; eye-catching; glamorous] 显眼 顯/顕眼) (bāo wrapping → [bun (food)] 包) → [attention-seeker; goofball; one who stands out from the crowd to get attention])” being used to mean when they’re put together in this expression? The article in The World of Chinese that’s mentioned above says:

One type of dazi [shallow friend] many prefer these days is the 显眼包 (xiǎnyǎnbāo), or goofball. The term refers to people who stand out from the crowd and constantly seek attention. Although once considered a neutral term, it has gained a positive connotation recently, as many appreciate their vibrant energy in an often ultra-competitive society.

As for the article in Sixth Tone that’s mentioned above, it says this regarding this expression as a whole:

显眼包

Class Clown

Literally meaning “eye-catching,” 显眼包 (xiǎn yǎn bāo) and its variations appear in a number of Chinese dialects. The term became widespread online after Guo Beibei — a phenomenally popular internet celebrity who later lost her account for violating short video platform Kuaishou’s rules on “vulgar” content — began using it to describe herself. Now, it’s become a byword for attention-seekers, goofballs, and anyone who is willing to get weird for a like.

[Regarding the person mentioned in the above quote, I found an article about her on the website of The China Project. The article says that she has many fans who are homosexuals, although it does not mention whether she herself is homosexual. For what it’s worth, I remember that a sister who grew up in San Francisco (which famously has a significant homosexual population) once commented that she has observed that many homosexuals are quite self-centred. Perhaps that contributes to such ones liking standing out and getting attention.]

Good and Bad Ways to Stand Out

The world—which we know is ruled behind the scenes by Satan the Devil—has its celebrity culture, and it has an attention economy. (1 John 5:19) In contrast, in 1 Thessalonians 4:11, the apostle Paul gave Christians this advice:

Make it your aim to live quietly and to mind your own business

So, generally, Christians should not seek to stand out or get attention for themselves. Sometimes, though, true Christians naturally stand out because of being no part of Satan’s world, e.g., when avoiding celebrating holidays with pagan roots, or when refusing to participate in politics or war. More positively, in a world permeated by Satan’s spirit, Christians may also naturally stand out because of reflecting God’s spirit, applying God’s principles, and sticking to God’s standards. As Jesus, said, his true disciples should ‘let their light shine’.—Matthew 5:16.

Standing out because of not following human conventions and traditions is not necessarily a bad thing. Indeed, it’s sometimes necessary, and exactly the right thing to do, with Jesus himself setting the perfect example by his not following the traditions of the scribes and Pharisees of his day, which went beyond God’s requirements. However, actually going beyond God’s standards and requirements, as Satan, the demons, Adam and Eve, the Pharisees, and others who show a similar spirit have done, is indeed bad. So, it’s vitally important for us to cultivate the wisdom to be able to tell the difference.

Standing Out in the Mandarin Field

Comparing the two articles linked to above, I noticed that the The World of Chinese article renders Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) in a much better way than the Sixth Tone article does—the The World of Chinese article properly treats Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) as a separate, alternate full writing system with spaces between whole words rather than between every syllable, while the Sixth Tone article just treats Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) like a mere pronunciation aid for the characters. Still, in a Language Log blog post of his own, Prof. Victor H. Mair made the following interesting comment regarding the expressions presented in the Sixth Tone article:

Three of the ten items either feature roman letters or consist entirely of English. Remember what Mark Hansell said years ago about roman letters becoming a part of the Chinese writing system:

Mark Hansell, “The Sino-Alphabet: The Assimilation of Roman Letters into the Chinese Writing System,” Sino-Platonic Papers, 45 (May, 1994), 1-28 (pdf)

Roman letters certainly stand out among Chinese characters.

As for characters themselves, one of the possible meanings of “xiǎnyǎn (xiǎn·yǎn {appears; shows; displays; manifests; {[is] obvious; evident; clear; apparent; noticeable} (to)} · eye → [conspicuous; showy; eye-catching; glamorous] 显眼 顯/顕眼)” is “glamorous”, and Chinese characters are considered glamorous by some. With their eye-catching visual designs, they are by nature—and probably by design—xiǎnyǎn (xiǎn·yǎn {noticeable (to)} · eye → [glamorous] 显眼 顯/顕眼), as are idols and images used in idolatrous worship.

In the Mandarin field, is it going too far to use Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) at times instead of always using characters? Is that being too xiǎnyǎn (xiǎn·yǎn {noticeable (to)} · eye → [conspicuous] 显眼 顯/顕眼) in a world where so many people use and promote characters? Should we just go along to get along? Well, as has been discussed on this blog and elsewhere, Chinese characters are from humans, not from God, and thus the traditions surrounding characters are no more binding on God’s true servants today than the traditions of the Pharisees were on Jesus, and I hope none of us would have told Jesus to “go along to get along”! (As I recall, the apostle Peter tried to tell Jesus something similar once, and Jesus, um, didn’t respond positively.) So, it is fine to take advantage of the practical benefits of Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) when you can to help you serve God more effectively, and to just use characters when you have to.

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Culture Current Events Language Learning Science

bǎilàn

bǎilàn (bǎi·làn {place; arrange → [assume; put on (air of) | exhibit; display]} · {being rotten; decayed; spoiled | worn out; broken; ragged; crappy | mushy} 摆烂 擺爛) ← Tap/click to show/hide the “flashcard”

In 2022, this week’s MEotW, “bǎilàn (bǎi·làn {place; arrange → [assume; put on (air of) | exhibit; display]} · {being rotten; decayed; spoiled | worn out; broken; ragged; crappy | mushy} 摆烂 擺爛)”, gained popularity among some young people in China as an expression that represents their approach to life in view of the difficult, even seemingly hopeless work culture, societal expectations, etc. that they are faced with. “Bǎilàn (Bǎi·làn {place; arrange → [assume; put on (air of) | exhibit; display]} · {being rotten; decayed; spoiled | worn out; broken; ragged; crappy | mushy} 摆烂 擺爛)” represents a progression beyond “tǎngpíng (tǎng·píng lie; recline · {[to be] flat} 躺平)”, a past MEotW—just compare the cats!

Screenshot of some image results from searching for “摆烂” (“bǎilàn”) on Google

Some image results from searching for “摆烂” (“bǎilàn (bǎi·làn {place; arrange → [assume; put on (air of) | exhibit; display]} · {being rotten; decayed; spoiled | worn out; broken; ragged; crappy | mushy} 摆烂 擺爛)”) on Google

Reports from Around the Internet

Here are some of the many media reports about this expression:

The rise of ‘bai lan’: why China’s frustrated youth are ready to ‘let it rot’ | China | The Guardian

Here are some quotes from the above article:

In recent days, this phrase – and more previously ‘tang ping’ (lying flat, 躺平), which means rejecting gruelling competition for a low desire life – gained popularity as severe competition and high social expectations prompted many young Chinese to give up on hard work.

But bai lan has a more worrying layer in the way it is being used by young people in China: to actively embrace a deteriorating situation, rather than trying to turn it around.

…

Prof Mary Gallagher, director of the Centre for Chinese Studies at the University of Michigan, says ‘bai lan’ is not necessarily a sentiment unique to China. “It is a bit like the ‘slacker’ generation in America in the 1990s. And like ‘tang ping’ last year, it is also a rejection against the ultra-competitiveness of today’s Chinese society.”

…

More than 18% of young Chinese people aged between 16 and 24 were jobless in April – the highest since the official record began. “Hard to find a job after graduation this year? Fine, I’ll just bai lan – stay at home and watch TV all day,” wrote one netizen who struggled to find work, despite China’s top leader urged young people to fight for the future.

Language Log » “Let it rot”

For a really deep dive into “bǎilàn (bǎi·làn {place; arrange → [assume; put on (air of) | exhibit; display]} · {being rotten; decayed; spoiled | worn out; broken; ragged; crappy | mushy} 摆烂 擺爛)”, check out this extended video news report from CNA, an English language news network based in Singapore:

“Letting It Rot” in the Mandarin Field?

Perhaps we can apply “bǎilàn (bǎi·làn {place; arrange → [assume; put on (air of) | exhibit; display]} · {being rotten; decayed; spoiled | worn out; broken; ragged; crappy | mushy} 摆烂 擺爛)” to how some may be resigned to being “crappy”, or at best mediocre, at the language-related aspects of being in the Mandarin field.

Some Mandarin field language learners have noticed that after an initial period of progress, they—and perhaps some/many of their fellow workers—may have plateaued, or leveled out in how good they are with the Mandarin language. Instead of moving on to a reasonable level of fluency or mastery, they may have gotten stuck for a long time at a “crappy” or at best mediocre level.

They may be resigned to this situation, or they may even actively embrace it, perhaps reasoning that the Great Wall of Characters is what it is, or that Mandarin just sounds too different from what they’re used to (e.g., with its tones), or that they personally just don’t have the intelligence or the talent to do any better. They may thus quit trying to do any better, or they may even quit the Mandarin field altogether. Such ones have effectively chosen to “bǎilàn (bǎi·làn {arrange → [exhibit]} · {being crappy} 摆烂 擺爛)” with regard to their Mandarin and their service in the Mandarin field.

The Great Wall of China

Can we do better than to “bǎilàn (bǎi·làn {arrange → [exhibit]} · {being crappy} 摆烂 擺爛)” when faced with the Great Wall of Characters?

Note, though, that changing to focus on first principles of language rather than sticking to played out traditional learning methods can provide fuel and energy for progress beyond being “crappy” or just mediocre at using the Mandarin language in your service to Jehovah God and your Mandarin-speaking neighbours. For example, while traditional Chinese culture dictates that Mandarin learners must focus on learning the extraordinarily and unnecessarily complex Chinese characters, first principles of language–as illuminated by linguistics, the scientific study of language—hold that SPEECH is actually the primary aspect of any human language, not writing, even if that writing is as traditionally and culturally entrenched as Chinese characters are. Indeed, I can personally testify that I have found that changing focus from the traditionally mandated crazy-complex characters to Mandarin SPEECH, with the help of the simple and elegant Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) writing system, is working to help me make noticeable ongoing progress in how much Mandarin I understand, and in how much I speak and sound like a native speaker of Mandarin.

Of course, such progress is personally satisfying, but as Jehovah’s dedicated servants and fellow workers, we should be even more concerned about how Jehovah views our efforts. Here are a couple of scriptures that may help us to understand Jehovah’s view of unnecessarily “crappy” or mediocre ‘sacrifices of praise’ (Hebrews 13:15) that some may offer in the Mandarin field:

6 “‘A son honors a father, and a servant his master. So if I am a father, where is the honor due me? And if I am a master, where is the fear due me?’ Jehovah of armies says to you priests who are despising my name.

“‘But you say: “How have we despised your name?”’

7 “‘By presenting polluted food on my altar.’

“‘And you say: “How have we polluted you?”’

“‘By saying: “The table of Jehovah is something to be despised.” 8 And when you present a blind animal as a sacrifice, you say: “It is nothing bad.” And when you present a lame animal or a sick one: “It is nothing bad.”’”

“Try presenting them, please, to your governor. Will he be pleased with you or receive you with favor?” says Jehovah of armies.

9 “And now, please, appeal to God, that he may show us favor. With such offerings from your own hand, will he receive any of you with favor?” says Jehovah of armies.

—Malachi 1:6–9.

15 ‘I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were cold or else hot. 16 So because you are lukewarm and neither hot nor cold, I am going to vomit you out of my mouth. 17 Because you say, “I am rich and have acquired riches and do not need anything at all,” but you do not know that you are miserable and pitiful and poor and blind and naked, 18 I advise you to buy from me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and white garments so that you may become dressed and that the shame of your nakedness may not be exposed, and eyesalve to rub in your eyes so that you may see.

—Revelation 3:15–18.

We should also remember that moving beyond “crappiness” or mediocrity in our Mandarin can help us to be more able to give spiritual help to the people in the Mandarin field who looking for something beyond the crappiness and mediocrity of this old system of things, something beyond the selfish, materialistic, and ultimately meaningless rat race promoted by Satan’s world. These people need the good news of God’s Kingdom, and they need people like us to share it with them in a language that they will understand and respond to from the heart.—Mark 6:34.

Categories
Culture Current Events Language Learning

sàng

sàng ({lost (by death)} [→ [lost (sth. important) | bereaved | dejected; frustrated; disappointed; discouraged]] 丧 喪) ← Tap/click to show/hide the “flashcard”

The post about past MEotW “tǎngpíng (tǎng·píng lie; recline · {[to be] flat} 躺平)” refers to this article:

Screenshot of the article “Tired of Running in Place, Young Chinese ‘Lie Down’ ”, on the Sixth Tone website

This article in turn refers to an article about the culture of “sàng ({lost (by death)} [→ [lost (sth. important) | bereaved | dejected; frustrated; disappointed; discouraged]] 丧 喪)”, this week’s MEotW.

What is sàng ({lost (by death)} [→ [lost (sth. important) | bereaved | dejected; frustrated; disappointed; discouraged]] 丧 喪) culture, or, in Mandarin, sàng ({lost (by death)} [→ [lost (sth. important) | bereaved | dejected; frustrated; disappointed; discouraged]] 丧 喪) wénhuà (wén·huà {(with) writing} · transformed (system) → [culture] 文化)?

Another article that I found provides this nice, simple description: (Note: The rest of the article contains some good information, but has a couple of curse words.)

A little Mandarin lesson here-

The character 丧 is a polyphone in mandarin Chinese. When it is pronounced sāng, it loosely translates to funeral or mourning. When as sàng, it could be referring to either losing certain things or people (“丧失”), or a conglomeration of negative emotions such as feeling depressed, angry, disappointed and vexed.

And the sàng culture we are talking about here really takes both meanings: it is, very vaguely, the idea that you’ve lost something and are feeling horrible about it.

Manifestations

This article also goes on to mention some ways in which sàng ({lost (by death)} [→ [lost (sth. important) | bereaved | dejected; frustrated; disappointed; discouraged]] 丧 喪) wénhuà (wén·huà {(with) writing} · transformed (system) → [culture] 文化) has been manifested:

Screenshot of the article “The Culture of sàng: a Generation Lying-down? | China Buzz Report”, on the Elephant Room website

As the above article mentions, and as shown in the above screenshot, one of the first manifestations of sàng ({lost (by death)} [→ [lost (sth. important) | bereaved | dejected; frustrated; disappointed; discouraged]] 丧 喪) wénhuà (wén·huà {(with) writing} · transformed (system) → [culture] 文化) was the “Gě Yōu ((Gě [surname] 葛) (Yōu Ample; Abundant [→ [Excellent; Superior]] | Actor; Actress 优 優/优) (a Chinese actor)) tǎng ({lies down} 躺)” set of memes, viral content on the Chinese Internet. (Gě Yōu ((Gě [surname] 葛) (Yōu Ample; Abundant [→ [Excellent; Superior]] | Actor; Actress 优 優/优) (a Chinese actor)) is a well-known Chinese actor, and the picture in the above screenshot is from the 1993 TV show Wǒ (I 我) Ài (Love 爱 愛) Wǒ (My 我) Jiā (Family 家), in which he plays the role of “a parasitical freeloader who was unemployed and broke and consistently failed in his filial responsibilities”, as one academic article put it.)

A translation of a Chinese article on sàng ({lost (by death)} [→ [lost (sth. important) | bereaved | dejected; frustrated; disappointed; discouraged]] 丧 喪) wénhuà (wén·huà {(with) writing} · transformed (system) → [culture] 文化) contains these comments about the image that the “Gě Yōu ((Gě [surname] 葛) (Yōu Ample; Abundant [→ [Excellent; Superior]] | Actor; Actress 优 優/优) (a Chinese actor)) tǎng ({lies down} 躺)” memes are based on:

This image runs contrary to the positive, healthy and upwardly mobile mainstream views that people of all generations favor. It does, however, fit in well with the youth culture of today. His decadence, despair, pessimism and hopelessness are exactly the inner state of this group of masses who work overtime, eat overtime, are under constant pressure and are having a hard time making a living.

Speaking of making a living, one business named Sàng ({Lost (by Death)} [→ [Lost (Sth. Important) | Bereaved | Dejected; Frustrated; Disappointed; Discouraged]] 丧 喪) Chá (Tea 茶) (English name: Song Tea) is opportunistically riding the wave of sàng ({lost (by death)} [→ [lost (sth. important) | bereaved | dejected; frustrated; disappointed; discouraged]] 丧 喪) culture with a chain of tea shops that uses tongue-in-cheek black humour in the names of its drinks, such as this one featured on its USA blog:

Screenshot of the blog post “Love Overtime Love Being Broke Tea 加班不止加薪无望四季春 - 丧茶美国总代理Song Tea”, on the Song Tea USA website

From Feeling Bereaved to Lying Flat

The “tǎng ({lies down} 躺)” used in “Gě Yōu ((Gě [surname] 葛) (Yōu Ample; Abundant [→ [Excellent; Superior]] | Actor; Actress 优 優/优) (a Chinese actor)) tǎng ({lies down} 躺)” is the same one as the one in “tǎngpíng (tǎng·píng lie; recline · {[to be] flat} 躺平)”, and “sàng ({lost (by death)} [→ [lost (sth. important) | bereaved | dejected; frustrated; disappointed; discouraged]] 丧 喪)” is indeed related to “tǎngpíng (tǎng·píng lie; recline · {[to be] flat} 躺平)”. Perhaps it can be said that the feeling of sàng ({lost (by death)} [→ [lost (sth. important) | bereaved | dejected; frustrated; disappointed; discouraged]] 丧 喪) moves many of those experiencing it to take the action of tǎngpíng (tǎng·píng lying; reclining · {[to be] flat} 躺平). As an above-mentioned article on tǎngpíng (tǎng·píng lie; recline · {[to be] flat} 躺平) says:

Unlike similar, previous terms to have had their time in the spotlight in recent years, tang ping is an action rather than a feeling — resolving to just scrape by, exerting the bare minimum effort at an unfulfilling job, as opposed to the futility of raging against the capitalist machine.

Echoing the West?

The title of one of the articles mentioned above, “Turn Off, Drop Out: Why Young Chinese Are Abandoning Ambition”, appears to be a play on the Western counterculture-era phrase “turn on, tune in, drop out”. In the 1960s, while the West was going through its counterculture era, China was in contrast undergoing its Cultural Revolution—a very different thing! Perhaps, similarly to how China is now racing off into space, and even to the moon, as the West did decades ago, it is now also in some ways changing in its popular culture, as the West did decades ago.

Stand Strong for These “Sheep Without a Shepherd”

If you are mourning your lack of progress in learning Mandarin despite your strenuous efforts to learn the traditionally mandated but extraordinarily and unnecessarily complex Chinese characters, please be assured that there is an alternative to just quitting the Mandarin field. Focusing on Mandarin SPEECH with the help of the simple and elegant Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) writing system can help you get a grip on understanding Mandarin speech, and on using it to give meaningful spiritual help to those in the worldwide field whose mother tongue is Mandarin.

As this look at sàng ({lost (by death)} [→ [lost (sth. important) | bereaved | dejected; frustrated; disappointed; discouraged]] 丧 喪) culture shows us, many of them are feeling the need for something beyond the selfish, materialistic, and ultimately meaningless rat race promoted by Satan’s world—they need the good news of God’s Kingdom, and they need people like us to share it with them in a language that they will understand and respond to from the heart.—Mr. 6:34.