Catch Phrase | 世界波 (shìjièbō)

Writer: Debra Li  | Editor: Stephanie Yang  | From:  | Updated: 2018-09-05

Meaning:

“世界” means “world,” and “波” is the transliteration of the English word “ball.” First used only by Cantonese speakers, the term has caught on with Mandarin speakers in recent years. It refers to a perfect goal during soccer games that is simply impossible for any skillful goalie to stop. Normally, such a goal is a long-distance goal with a beautiful arc that wows all spectators.

Example:

A: 法国对阿根廷的比赛你看了吗?

Fǎguó duì āgēntíng de bǐsài nǐ kàn le ma?

Did you watch the game between France and Argentina?

B: 看了,阿根廷虽然输了,但比赛很精彩,双方都踢出了世界波。

Kàn le,āgēntíng suīrán shū le,dàn bǐsài hěn jīngcǎi,shuāngfāng dōu tī chū le shìjièbō。

Yes, I did. The game was fantastic although Argentina lost. Both sides scored world-class goals.