The culture of “宅” in China

The advance of technology in China has made a radical change in people's lifestyle. Nowadays, people can make a living without even leaving their home for a long time. This kind of lifestyle is called "宅 (zhái)" in Chinese.

中国科技的进步让人们的生活方式发生了翻天覆地的变化。人们居然可以很长时间不出门，还能继续生存下去。这种生活方式，中文里称之为"宅 (zhái)"。

If a person who seldom goes out is addicted to the Internet or TV plays, he or she can be described as "宅 (zhái)". This use of "宅 (zhái)" is introduced from Japan. In Japan, lots of people are crazy about comics and video games and stay at home all day long, burying themselves in shows, comic books and games. This group of people is called "宅男 (zhái nán)" (Jap. Otaku) for men and "宅女 (zhái nǚ)" for women. This concept was introduced to China. "宅 (zhái)", as a adjective, is widely accepted and used by the Chinese younger generation.

如果一个人总是不出门，可能沉迷于网络和电视剧，我们就说他"宅 (zhái)"。"宅 (zhái)"的这个用法，是从日本引进的：在日本，有一些非常热爱动漫或游戏的人，他们整天在家，把自己泡在这些娱乐中。这些人被称为"宅男 (zhái nán)"、 "宅女 (zhái nǚ)"。后来这个概念进入中国。"宅 (zhái)"作为形容词，也被中国年轻人接受并且使用。

Quite a few Chinese young people tend to be "宅 (zhái)". Many students can sit in front of their computers for a whole day in the university dormitory. For now, lots of social websites are quite popular among the people, such as Facebook, Myspace and Twitter. In China, limited to the language and custom, people tend to choose Chinese social websites, such as Renren and Sina Weibo, and more and more are keen on chatting on QQ and WeChat. Meanwhile, quite a lot of people enjoy watching various online videos on Youtube, Youku or Tudou. They can't help but follow online videos that range from hot variety shows, classic animated movies to the funny videos made by net users. Without saying a word at home, these "宅男 (zhái nán)" and "宅女 (zhái nǚ)" prefer communicating with each other through the Internet.

确实，有不少中国年轻人经常宅。大学宿舍里，有些学生坐在电脑前一坐就是一天。现在，社交网站非常受人们喜爱，比如Facebook、Myspace、Twitter等等，而在中国，由于语言和习惯的影响，人们会选择使用中国的社交网站，比如：人人网、新浪微博等等，越来越多的人热衷于QQ、微信聊天。同时，不少人还喜欢访问Youtube、优酷或土豆网，因为在上面可以观看很多内容：不管是热播的综艺节目，还是经典的动画片，或是网友录制的搞笑视频，都让人一坐下来就难以起身。这些宅男、宅女，在家虽然一言不发，但是他们通过网络交流的火热程度绝对不容小觑。

What makes a person turn into "宅男 (zhái nán)" and "宅女 (zhái nǚ)"? No matter if they're students or office workers, once they start learning or working, they go under great pressure. People in China face huge competition from time to time living in a country with such a large population. That is why they want to entertain themselves after work and just relax. Chinese people love all kinds of new things, and the Internet largely satisfies their curiosity. Another reason why Asians are prone to becoming shut-ins is the character of Easterners. Compared with Westerners, Chinese people tend to be more restrained. Therefore, they prefer to get information quietly or share their feelings with friends alone rather than participating in parties or large public events.

为什么他们都成了"宅男 (zhái nán)"和"宅女 (zhái nǚ)"呢？学生也好、上班族也好，一旦开始工作学习，他们的压力是比较大的，何况中国人口这么多，人们要面对很多竞争。所以，当人们一离开工作，就会想到要好好消遣消遣。中国人特别喜欢新鲜的事物，网络在很大程度上满足了人们的好奇心。另一个原因是中国人的性格。和西方人比较，中国人的性格相对比较内敛。所以，中国人参加聚会不多，人们更喜欢独自安静地在网络上获取信息，或者单独和朋友分享自己的心情。