Meaning:
“洗” means to “launder,” and “稿” refers to an “essay.” Unlike the English word “launder,” which means to “censor” when used on written texts, the Chinese character “洗” in this context is closer to that in “money laundering,” i.e., to make changes and conceal the true source. This term caught on after Caixin magazine Friday accused a WeChat public account owner with the ID “youyouluming” of plagiarizing. The latter based a widely read essay about a corrupt official in Gansu Province on Caixin’s previous report as well as other published reports and labeled it “original,” prompting the accusation. Therefore, this term basically means to “plagiarize.”
Example:
A: 前几天有篇爆款文章，听说是洗稿的作品。
Qiánjǐtiān yǒu piān bàokuǎn wénzhāng，tīngshuō shì xǐgǎo de zuòpǐn。
An essay that went viral a couple days ago has been accused of plagiarizing.
B: 作者多处引用了他人的报道，并没有严格标明出处。
Zuòzhě duōchù yǐnyòng le tārén de bàodào，bìng méiyǒu yángé biāomíng chūchù。
The author quoted other people’s reports in many places but didn’t give them the necessary credits.