“AA制” and “A货” in Chinese

Today, we'll talk about two terms you're unlikely to find in your textbook. But here's the good news: you definitely know how to write them (or at least part of them)! Both these terms use the letter A, and it's pronounced just like it is in English (rhymes with hay). Chinese slang has never been so easy!

今天，我们将介绍课本里学不到的两个词。但有一个好消息：你一定知道如何写这两个词（至少知道如何写其中的一部分）。这两个词都包含字母A，且A的发音和英语一样（与hay押韵）。这可以算是汉语俚语中最简单易学的词汇了。

AA制

If you go out to a restaurant in China, probably someone will offer to treat everyone else at the table when it comes time to pay. There may even be fighting over the check. If you want to do things the "Western way", where everyone pays for their own food, you may have been taught the phrase 各付各的 (gè fù gè de) ("everyone pays for themselves"). But this expression is about as common among Chinese youth as "going Dutch" is among American youth. Nowadays, it's called AA制 (AA zhì).

在中国，如果你外出就餐，结账的时候可能会有人请客，甚至还会为争着埋单大打出手。如果你想和西方人一样，每个人各自埋单，那么你可以说“各付各的(gè fù gè de)。像“going dutch”一词在美国年轻人之间非常流行一样，“各付各的”也为中国年轻人广泛使用。如今，“各付各的”也称“AA制（AA zhì）”。

The name, supposedly, was originally an abridged form of "Acting Appointment", but many people now explain it as standing for "All Apart," as in, "we all pay for our food apart from one another."

起初，有人认为“AA”是“Acting Appointment”的缩写。但现在也有许多人认为它是“we all pay for our food apart from one another.”中“All Apart”的缩写。

A货

You've seen A货 (A huò) everywhere. You might even be wearing some A货 right now. A货 is a generic, catchall term for imitation products. Those fake Louis Vuitton bags everyone seems to be buying these days? A货. That imitation-Bathing Ape hoodie you saw on the subway? A货. (Another common slang term for off-brand imitation products you may have heard is 山寨 shānzhài, but it’s got connotations and meanings that go beyond that).

A货（A huò）随处可见。也许你现在穿的衣服正是A货。A货泛指仿货。近来人人都争相购买的LV包？A货。地铁站内的Bathing Ape服饰？A货。（“山寨shānzhài”也是指杂牌仿货，但“山寨”的含义更加丰富）。

Recently, Youku (one of China's most popular video websites) even dedicated an episode of their online show I Have Something to Say (我有话要说 Wǒ yǒu huà yào shuō) to A货, asking people on the streets of Beijing and Wuhan whether they liked to buy A货 and pretended to be rich (假装有钱人 jiǎzhuāng yǒu qián rén). Most people agreed they were willing to buy A货 because it was inexpensive, but said you should be honest about it.

最近，优酷（中国最受欢迎的视频网站之一）出品的网络综艺节目《我有话要说》有一集就是关于A货。针对“人们是否会买A货，假装自己是有钱人”这一问题，节目组在北京以及武汉进行了街头采访。大部分受访者都说他们会买A货，因为这些东西便宜。不过他们认为，对于A货一事，应当坦诚相告。

Translated from: theworldofchinese.com