Meaning:
“漂” means “going with the stream,” and “书” means “books.” Borrowing from the image of “message in a bottle” (Chinese, 漂流瓶), this term refers to bookcrossing. It is defined as “the practice of leaving a book in a public place to be picked up and read by others, who then do likewise.” Ron Hornbaker conceived the idea in March 2001. Along with business partners and co-founders Bruce and Heather Pedersen, BookCrossing.com was launched April 21, 2001. In 2004 the Concise Oxford Dictionary included the word “bookcrossing.” The term became a buzzword in China after some celebrities followed Emma Watson’s step and left books on public transport.
Example:
A: 你们的漂书活动进展顺利吗？
Nǐmen de piāoshū huódòng jìnzhǎn shùnlì ma?
How’s your bookcrossing doing?
B: 可能我们这里的地铁太挤了，很少有人捡起书来读。
Kěnéng wǒmen zhèlǐ de dìtiě tài jǐ le, hěnshǎo yǒurén jiǎn qǐ shū lái dú。
Perhaps it’s too crowded in the Metro trains here. People seldom pick up the books to read.
(Edited by Stephanie Yang)