Description: Most beginner learners will have learned this word early on to mean “dirt.” When used to describe a person or object, it can also mean “nerdy” or “unfashionable.” The origins of this come from the fact that people who work with soil and dirt are usually peasants, and they’re not always seen to have all the class or elegance as a city person might. It’s similar to the English slang of “peasant.”
Description: The term for this means “idiot” or “moron,” and comes from an ancient Chinese story. In Ancient China, the square hole in copper coins was used to string them together. 1000 coins stringed together was a “diao.” Half of a diao, or 半吊子 (bàn diào zi) was used as slang to talk about someone who was inadequate. As a way to describe themselves, modest Chinese scholars went a step further and took a half of the half, hence the 250, to show they were a real idiot.
Description: Mixed in with English meanings, Chinese characters start to take on new meanings. This can be seen with the phrase 玻璃 (bō lí – glass). It’s now a way to reference a gay lover. This came about because in the beginning “boy love” was abbreviated as “BL.” When “BL” is entered into a phone or keyboard for the pinyin text, 玻璃 is what first shows up, turning it into a slang phrase among the younger Chinese generation.
