We often use \u201c\u6709\u94b1 [y\u01d2u qi\u00e1n]\u201d to describe someone has a lot of money in Chinese. But are there any other words to describe this?
\nIn this lesson, we will learn some popular internet buzzword used to describe the rich and the poor.<\/p>\n
\u201c\u9ad8 [g\u0101o]\u201d means tall, \u201c\u5bcc [f\u00f9]\u201d means rich, and \u201c\u5e05 [shu\u00e0i]\u201d means handsome. So as you might guess, the word Gao Fu Shuai describes a man who is perfect not only when it comes to figure and looks, but also economic power. Sometimes these men are also called \u7537\u795e [n\u00e1n sh\u00e9n] \uff08Male God\uff09. <\/p>\n
There is also a female equivalent of \u201cGao Fu Shai\u201d, the \u201c\u767d\u5bcc\u7f8e [b\u00e1i f\u00f9 m\u011bi]\u201d. \u201c\u767d [b\u00e1i]\u201d here means pale-skinned and nice to look at, \u201c\u5bcc [f\u00f9]\u201d means rich, and \u201c\u7f8e [m\u011bi]\u201d means beautiful with nice figure. Such women are also sometimes called \u5973\u795e [n\u01da sh\u00e9n] \uff08Goddess\uff09.<\/p>\n
So what is the opposite of \u9ad8\u5bcc\u5e05 and \u767d\u5bcc\u7f8e? It\u2019s the \u77ee\u7a77\u632b [\u01cei qi\u00f3ng cu\u00f3]. It describes a man or woman who is short, poor, and unattractive. This word is most commonly used to mock oneself, and not to describe others. Another word with similar meaning is \u5c4c\u4e1d [di\u01ceo s\u012b] \uff08loser\uff09.<\/p>\n
You can use these terms like this:<\/p>\n\n\n
The original meaning of \u571f\u8c6a [t\u01d4 h\u00e1o] is local tyrant, but nowadays it is a derogatory term for the newly rich, or someone who has a lot of money but doesn\u2019t think twice when spending it.<\/p>\n\n\n
When the iPhone 5s was just released, it was not only available in the normal white and black color variations, but also in gold. The iPhone is considered very expensive by many Chinese, especially right after release when prices are high. Nonetheless, the gold iPhone 5S was popular in China, and many said that anyone who buys a gold iPhone must surely be a \u571f\u8c6a [t\u01d4 h\u00e1o]. This led to the gold iPhone 5s also being known as \u201c\u571f\u8c6a\u91d1 [t\u01d4 h\u00e1o j\u012bn]\u201d in China.<\/p>\n
\u4efb\u6027 [r\u00e8n x\u00ecng] means wilful, or self-willed, so the phrase \u6709\u94b1\u5c31\u662f\u4efb\u6027 means \u201crich but self-indulged\u201d. It\u2019s a phrase used derogatorily, often towards oneself. A popular English translation of this phrase is \u201crich and bitch\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n
Starting out with this phrase, the sentence pattern \u201c~\u5c31\u662f\u4eba\u6027\u201d quickly became popular in China. Here are some examples on how you can use it to mock yourself.<\/p>\n
Now you have some new vocabulary to describe the rich with your Chinese friends. They will certainly think your Chinese is very good, so you can tell them : \u4f1a\u4e2d\u6587\u5c31\u662f\u4efb\u6027 [hu\u00ec zh\u014dng w\u00e9n ji\u00f9 sh\u00ec r\u00e8n x\u00ecng].<\/p>\n\n\n