jenny's blog

脑补 (Nǎo bǔ)

This is a very interesting term. It refers to brain supplements but it is not usually used in everyday conversations. Instead, it is usually used in comics, or novels to describe a character being upgraded in their mental state. However, we know that these can't happen in real life but such fantasies are possible, and also commonly used as plot points in stories.

One example is the famous movie, Lucy, starring Scarlett Johansson who took some drugs which caused her brain power and capacity to improve tenfolds. This is what the Chinese would describe as 脑补.

洪荒之力 (Hónghuāng zhī lì)

In 2015, in a popular Chinese drama called 《花千骨》, 洪荒之力 was used to describe the strongest power in the drama, power that is so strong that it can destroy the world. However, in 2016, during the Rio Olympic Women's 100m backstroke semi-final, the Chinese swimmer Fu Yuanhui said in an interview: "我已经用了洪荒之力” with a comedic expression and the internet immediately caught on.

Therefore, it is now used to describe that you have put in the upmost effort and have exhausted your powers.

颜值 (Yán zhí) is an online term.

颜 is found in 容颜 (rongyan) which means appearance. Therefore, the word 颜 is commonly associated appearances.
值 means value or worth.

Therefore, when it is placed together, it means face value. It is used by netizens to measure the appearances of people. In a way, with the advert of social media, it can be represented by the number of likes a person gets.

So for example, someone who is very good looking would be referred to as 颜值高 (yan zhi gao)

然并卵 (ran bing luan) is a popular internet term that rose to fame in 2015 and is an abbreviation of "然而并没有什么卵用".
The meaning of this expression is to show that while some things may seem very complicated or high-end, they are in fact not and has no substantial effect or does not achieve the results as ideally envisioned. It is also frequently used to express a sense of helplessness and ridicule.

An exmaple would be "XXX其实是一个然并卵的游戏啊!"
(xxx qíshí shì yīgè rán bìng luǎn de yóuxì a!)
which translates to : "XXX is actually a game without much substance!"

百毒 (bai du)

It refers to a type of herbal medicine, especially those harmful drugs. This is a term that is used especially in the field of healthcare. A particular saying goes "咋样可以让人百毒不侵，永葆青春。" (zǎ yàng kěyǐ ràng rén bǎi dú bù qīn, yǒng bǎo qīngchūn.)

Translating this means to say how can one not let harmful drugs affect your and maintain a healthy youthful body.

你的良心不会痛吗 (ni de liang xin bu hui tong ma)

你的良心不会痛吗 means that ‘Has this action ever given you a slash of conscience?’. When netizens chat online or chat with good friends, they often encounter strong opponents with ironic words. At that time, netizens always say ‘Has this action ever given you a slash of conscience?’. It is an effective way to ask and fight back.

敲黑板划重点 (qiao hei ban hua zhong dian)

敲黑板划重点 means knocking on the blackboard to focus. The word is usually followed by other information, aiming to emphasize the importance of what to say next. This is a concise summary of important information for everyone. The source of this word is that teachers especially like to use chalk to knock on the blackboard to make students focus which almost everyone has experienced in school.

神仙 shen xian

This translates to deity. In a way, it refers to those with an immortal body, abilities that are supernatural and able to transcend the earthly world to supposed heavens.

绝尘 (jue chen)

It refers to dust but it is used as a way to describe something else.

This word has multiple meanings:

1. 脚不沾尘土。形容奔驰神速。
jiǎo bù zhān chéntǔ, xíngróng bēnchí dé hěn kuài.
The former meaning is to describe when someone left so quickly that they only leave a trace of dust behind. This was used in Ancient China to refer to swordsman or horsemen and when they ride away on a horse, the horse galloping would usually kick up some dust.

2. 超脱尘俗。
Chāotuō chénsú.
This means to refer that something is ultra clean.

媒体吹风会 (Méitǐ chuīfēng huì) is similar to a press conference but it is a less formal version. The atmosphere of the interview can be more relaxed but equally detailed. Another commonly used phrase is 新闻吹风会 (xin wen chui feng hui).