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Tuhao, let’s be friends!

tuhao, learn chinese

A new word has suddenly become wildly popular in China – "tuhao" – which is loosely translated as "nouveau riche". It's being used to describe everything from the Communist Party's new People's Daily building, to expensive celebrity weddings full of bling, and the new gold-coloured iPhone.

如今,“土豪”(tǔ háo)一词风靡全中国。它的意思近似于法语中的“nouveau riche”(暴发户)。从人民日报社的新大楼、明星大腕珠光宝气的婚礼,到新款的金色苹果手机,都可以称之为“土豪”。

In Chinese "tu" means earth, and "hao" means rich. To say someone is tuhao is to imply they come from a poor peasant background, and have made it rich quick – but don't quite have the manners, or sophistication to go along with it. It's like the term "nouveau riche", but has even more negative connotations, suggesting a certain vulgarity. 

“土”的本意是“泥土”,“豪”是“富有”的意思。如果说某人是土豪,言下之意,此人农民出身,后一夜暴富,却缺乏与之相称的得体举止与教养。虽然与“暴发户”意思相近,却被赋予了更多负面意义,暗含些许粗俗。

"Tuhao" is actually an old word – dating back perhaps as far as the Southern Dynasty 1,500 years ago – meaning "a local influential person". During the communist revolution, from the 1920s to early 1950s, it was widely used to refer to landholders and gentry who would bully those beneath them.

实际上,“土豪”一词古已有之,可以追溯到约1500年前的南朝时期, 本义是指“一方名人”。在20世纪20年代至50年代的社会主义革命期间,“土豪”则用于泛指那些剥削、压迫穷人的地主及乡绅。

This new usage of the term took off in September, 2013 after a widely-shared joke about a rich, but unhappy man, who goes to a Buddhist monk for advice, expecting to be told to live a more simple life. The monk replies instead with the phrase: "Tuhao, let's be friends!"

“土豪”如今的新用法来源于2013年9月一个广为流传的笑话。这个笑话讲的是一个闷闷不乐的有钱人跑到庙里拜见高僧寻求指点,满以为高僧会指点他过更简朴的生活,没想到僧人却说:“土豪,我们做朋友吧!”

Chinese internet users are highly creative in their use of language, and are constantly inventing, and re-inventing words as a way of getting past censorship rules. But in this case, its popularity seems to be down to the fact that it encapsulates China's changing society so well – many people sneer at those with wealth, but are secretly jealous. 

中国网民在运用语言时极具创造力。他们不遗余力地创造一些新词以规避网络审查。然而,“土豪”一词爆红,归根结底,它正是中国社会转型的一个缩影——许多人在对富人嗤之以鼻的同时,私下里却带着几分艳羡与嫉妒。


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2016-06-21

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