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Catch Phrase| 油腻中年男(yóunì zhōngnián nán)

Writer:   | Editor: Stephanie Yang  | From:  | Updated: 2017-11-02

Meaning:

“油腻” means “greasy,” “中年” means “middle-aged,” and “男” refers to “men.” This term, referring to fat, obscene and complacent middle-aged men, became a buzzword among Chinese netizens recently. Feng Tang, a contemporary Chinese author known for novels “Give Me a Girl When I’m Eighteen” and “Beijing, Beijing,” wrote an essay on this topic. Giving suggestions like going to the gym and being polite to women and younger people, Feng’s essay titled “How to Avoid Becoming a Greasy Middle-aged Man” went viral on social media. Some think that “being fat, bald and wearing a beaded bracelet” typically defines such a person.

Example:

A: 上周中学同学聚会没看到你。

Shàngzhōu zhōngxué tóngxué jùhuì méi kàndào nǐ。

I didn’t see you at the get-together with our middle school classmates last week.

B: 我出差了,不在城里。怎么样?

Wǒ chūchāi le, bù zài chéng lǐ。Zěnme yàng?

I was out of town on a business trip. How was it?

A:班上的男同学多数成了油腻中年男,饭桌上讲着黄段子。

Bānshàng de nán tóngxué duōshù chéngle yóunì zhōngnián nán, fànzhuō shàng jiǎng zhe huángduànzi。

The bulk of our male classmates have become fat, obscene and complacent middle-aged men, telling dirty jokes at the dinner table.

(First editor: Debra Li)